Ballechin (Edradour) Sauternes Cask Matured
46% ABV - Highlands, Scotland
Nose: Moderate to heavy peat smoke atop sweet, cooked fruit notes. Slight notes of prune.
Taste: Peat smoke up front with cherry, nectarine, and oranges in tow. Some wood spices lead into the finish.
Finish: Smoke and spices with fruits, and ending with oak. Medium-long.
It’s a little bit of a rarity for scotch whisky be matured entirely in Sauternes casks. I can count on one hand the number of whiskies I have tasted that feature Sauternes finishes (and they are all lovely)—and none tasted that are entirely matured in ex-Sauternes (except for this one, of course).
It’s quite something to think that this was bottled ten years ago! It was opened sometime earlier in 2023, but to have been able to find it in a local store is nearly unbelievable. (No joke, I went to that store to see if they had any others—alas, they only had the Discovery Series #4 that is matured in Oloroso Sherry butts.)
I won about one third remaining in the bottle at small dinner auction organized by two of the whisky clubs here.
Details: Matured in first fill Sauternes hogsheads. The Discovery Series #8 (July 2013). 6000 bottles produced: 5100 70cl and 900 750mL—this review is for one of the 70cl bottles.
The next Ballechin was the 10-year old, released in 2014.
Tasting Notes (Official):
Tasted 21 November 2023. (Posted 5 February 2024.)
