Review by: The Muskox
There seem to be an endless number of Edradour/Ballechin cask picks. This one was selected for a whole bunch of Belgian people: half the cask was bottled for Billy’s Whisky Barrel, Malt Whisky Corner, The Bonding Dram and Whiskyclub McShelfie, with the other half bottled for Vinothek Massen, Huis Hardies and Top Malts.be.
Distillery: Edradour.
Bottler: Signatory Vintage.
Region: Highlands.
ABV: 58.9%. Cask strength.
Age: 10 years. Distilled August 13th 2010. Bottled September 15th 2020.
Cask type: Cask #195, a first-fill sherry
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: Warm amber. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Much more sherry than peat, at least at first. Very sweet and dark sherry at that – mixed berries, blueberry jam and butter on (Belgian!) waffles. Super thick caramel, dark toasty malt, and slightly-burnt popcorn. Savoury flavours do start to emerge with some time – there’s bacon, pepper steak, fire-roasted veggies, sooty grill, and sweet braised brisket. A bit of a medicinal band-aid note too. A hint of dried flowers.
Palate: Medium texture, moderate heat. Whoa, here’s the peat. Very peppery smoke, rich char-grilled steak, ashphalt, burning tires, bandages, and some ash. Fairly woody-fragrant too, like cedar or even hickory smoke. Develops savoury-sweet to lamb with blueberry sauce, bandaids, and charcoal. Soy sauce and charred nuts. Thick fruit syrup and tart blood orange. Cumin and fresh habaneros.
Finish: Long and very sweet. Cassis, macerated strawberries, walnuts, hay. Lingering seared red meat and chimney soot.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Ornate steakhouse dessert platter”
Conclusion: Very tasty! Shockingly sweet and syrupy for a sherry cask, maybe more comparable to a PX cask. I have had one Edradour that was matured in a sherry cask that was syrupy-sweet like this one, but of course that was unpeated. Actually, I tried this year’s Laphroaig Cairdeas a few days ago (the PX one), and I’ve got to say, this Ballechin is pretty dang similar. It doesn’t quite have the tobacco, that particular Laphroaig punch, and it’s maybe not quite as integrated, but it does have fantastic rich peat as well as great complexity. Maybe if you’re Belgian, this will be easier to find?
Final Score: 85.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 