Edradour Ballechin 2009

A 15 year old Ballechin, a distillery bottling, from 2009, at 54.1%, 2430 bottles in all. Ballechin is the smoky side of Edradour, a heavily peated malt from Pitlochry. For years its sign read Scotland's smallest distillery; it now calls itself Scotland's little gem.

The spirit was run through the small stills, the peat smoke carried into a rich, oily make, the worm tubs lending weight to the smoke. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut from the lactones. Through oxidative maturity esters concentrate, dried fruit and chocolate rising under the oily smoke. Long ageing turns the rich make towards dried fruit, fig and a soft spice. A rare Morton refrigerator still cools the wort, one of the last in use in Scotland. A 2018 expansion added a second still house, the production still small and traditional. Refill oak lets the rich, oily Edradour character lead the way.

At its natural 54.1% it is rich and full bodied. A smoky, fruity richness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and a peppery smoke lift it. The close is oily and smoky, fruit over a tarry oak. This is a rich, smoky malt from one of Scotland's smallest distilleries.