Ballechin 2007 (Signatory) (60.2%)

This Ballechin was bottled by the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, a 12 year old, distilled in 2007, from cask 901, bottled at 60.2%, one of 444 bottles. Ballechin is the peated expression of Edradour, named after a long lost peated farm distillery nearby. For years its sign read Scotland's smallest distillery; it now calls itself Scotland's little gem.

The spirit was drawn off the tiny stills and cooled in worm tubs, smoke over an oily spirit, the worm tubs lending weight to the smoke. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the rich spirit. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the smoky malt, the body fuller and oilier. A small distillery and a hands on approach shape every cask by hand. Active wood frames the rich fruit without overwhelming the oily Highland spirit. Long ageing turns the rich make towards dried fruit, fig and a soft spice.

At 60.2%, undiluted, it is deep and concentrated. A smoky, oily sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and a peppery smoke lift it. The finish runs long, smoky and warming. This is a rich, smoky Highland single malt.