Edradour Ballechin 2008 Cask #226

A 14 year old Ballechin, a distillery bottling, from 2008, cask 226, at 61%, 480 bottles in all. Ballechin is the peated expression of Edradour, named after a long lost peated farm distillery nearby. A rare Morton refrigerator still cools the wort, one of the last in use in Scotland.

It was run through the small stills, the peat smoke carried into a rich, oily make, for a heavy, smoky spirit with an oily depth. A Rum cask held it, shaping the oily spirit over the years. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into vanilla as the peat smoke softens to a mellow, oily reek. The worm tubs leave an oily weight that carries through the years in cask. Its water comes from the Ben Vrackie springs in the hills above the distillery. Its tiny copper stills and worm tubs give a rich, oily, full bodied spirit.

At a hearty 61% it carries real weight. Peat smoke, dried fruit and a nutty oil, with a soft brown sugar and a tropical fruit from the cask. A dried fruit and a tarry oak give it depth. The finish runs long, smoky and warming. This is a rich, smoky malt from one of Scotland's smallest distilleries.