2004 Edradour Ballechin Straight from the Cask 13 Year Old Port Cask #215 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (500ml)

Distilled in 2004, Cask 215 previously is a second x-Port cask from the recent outturns. Described as raw, earthy and even a bit meaty, expect thick sweet peat, seaweed, dry wood, ash, tar, smoldering fire, salt and cranberry sweetness. 408 bottles at 54.2% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

“Ballechin” is the heavily peated version of Edradour and comes matured in a wide variety of wood types. The name originates from a fellow Perthshire farm distillery, which sadly closed its doors in 1927. Alfred Barnard, who catalogued all the distilleries in the UK in the 1880’s, made reference to having tasted a peated dram there. The new-age Ballechin is a whisky born out of experimentation but has attained a quasi-cult status in a relatively short time. When Edradour was bought in 2002, Andrew Symington called on the services of Iain Henderson, the former director of Laphroaig to create a second, very peaty malt. Available since 2006 and employing barley peated at a whopping 50ppm - a rate comparable to the smokiest malts of Islay - "Ballechin" was initially sold as a yearly vintage in limited runs of 6000 bottles. There’s now a broader variety available, including private and exclusive bottlings, however the cask strength editions are the most sought after. They remain small-scale single cask releases available in Australia sporadically throughout the year.