Edradour Ballechin 2005 Cask #327-334

Ballechin from the distillery, a 17 year old, from 2005, cask 327-334, at 53.5%, 2103 bottles in all. Ballechin is the smoky side of Edradour, a heavily peated malt from Pitlochry. A rare Morton refrigerator still cools the wort, one of the last in use in Scotland.

The spirit 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 Burgundy cask, layered over the rich Edradour make. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge and ellagitannins a drying grip, the peat smoke mellowing. Maturation in the dunnage warehouses at Pitlochry is slow and steady. For years its sign read Scotland's smallest distillery; it now calls itself Scotland's little gem. The tiny stills and worm tubs give an oily spirit that takes the cask well. It is one of the smallest traditional distilleries in Scotland, long run by just two or three hands.

At a natural 53.5% it is full and oily. Peat, chocolate and a waxy oil, with a soft red berry and an earthy edge from the cask. A baked apple and a peppery smoke lift it. The close is oily and smoky, fruit over a tarry oak. This is Ballechin, Edradour's peated single malt.