Ballechin 2007 (Whisky.de)

A 13 year old Ballechin from the German retailer Whisky.de, distilled in 2007, from cask 23, bottled at 55.7%, one of 292 bottles. Ballechin is Edradour's smoky single malt, peated to around fifty parts per million. A rare Morton refrigerator still cools the wort, one of the last in use in Scotland.

It was drawn off the tiny stills and cooled in worm tubs, smoke over an oily spirit, for a heavy, smoky spirit with an oily depth. Maturation came in a Bordeaux cask, layered over the rich Edradour make. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into vanilla as the peat smoke softens to a mellow, oily reek. The cool Highland air of the glen gives a slow, even maturation in the small Edradour warehouses. It was founded in 1825, growing out of an old farmers' cooperative in the glen above Pitlochry. It is one of the smallest traditional distilleries in Scotland, long run by just two or three hands.

At its natural 55.7% it is rich and full bodied. Peat smoke, fig and a soft chocolate, with a dark berry and a dry tannin from the cask. A baked apple and a peppery smoke lift it. A long, smoky finish carries dried fruit and a soft ash. This is Ballechin, Edradour's peated single malt.