Edradour Ballechin 3 is a heavily peated and port matured version of Edradour whisky. Edradour is currently owned by the Signatory Vintage whisky company who happens to be one of my favorite NDPs because it seems like, more often than not, they snag really good casks of whisky. Edradour was established in 1825 and until Strathern was built the distillery held the title of Scotland’s smallest distillery, though they still claim they do on their website.
The Ballechin line isn’t just Edradour’s extension into peat, but also their extension into experimentation. Every numbered release of Edradour Ballechin gets matured in a completely different type of cask to explore how their peated malt matures and morphs in different types of barrels. It’s a pretty interesting experimentation and now that I’ve had a taste of #3 I’m going to see what I can do about tasting the rest to understand how they stack up.
Edradour Ballechin 3 Info
Region: Highlands, Scotland
Distiller: Edradour
Mashbill: 100% Malted barley
Cask: Port Cask
Age: NAS
ABV: 46%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $115
Edradour Ballechin 3 Review
EYE
Pear juice
NOSE
Peat, vanilla, orchard fruit, sugary frosting-like sweetness and a touch of earthy dry erase quality. It has a pleasant round quality to it that makes me wish I had more of it.
PALATE
Rich and creamy across the palate with great notes of peat, vanilla, smoked meat, orchard fruit, honey, and a raisiny quality. The term sip-worthy comes to mind.
FINISH
Medium fade of peat, spice, wood and fruit.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good balance, medium body and a smooth feel.
OVERALL
I really enjoyed the Edradour Ballechin 3, but don’t register much of the port finish except in the overall sweetness and a bit of raisins on the palate. It’s not a big port fueled whisky like the 2013 Laphroaig Cairdeas. Still, it has a soft yet full aroma and palate that had me searching the internet for a decently priced bottle. I didn’t find one, but the fact remains that it was good enough to spur me on for the hunt. A tasty whisky indeed.
SCORE: 88/100
