13 Ballechin to celebrate 200 years of Edradour


September 20, 2025

13 Ballechin to celebrate 200 years of Edradour
(and my own birthday)

Serge is standing in for Angus this Saturday, just this once. We hope you’ll forgive us.

We love Edradour, it’s truly one distillery that proved, not just on the paper but through nose and palate, that not everything is going downhill in the world of single malt Scotch. We still remember the 10-year-old bottling from the previous owner, Campbell Distillers, which was, let’s say, a trifle soapy and rather a little feinty in the late 1990s. Yet, and this is not widely known, Edradour’s malt had actually been the most expensive among blenders back in the 1960s.The distillery was taken over by Andrew Symington of Signatory Vintage in 2002, and as the new distillates — post-2002 — began to make their mark, the quality shot up dramatically. In our humble rankings, it moved consistently from the 60–69 point bracket to the 85–89 point range, if not higher. Incredible! Well, perhaps not that surprising.

That said, there’s one variant that has always stood out, not least because it wasn’t produced under the previous owners, and that’s the peated version, Edradour's Longrow, named Ballechin, in tribute to a very old distillery from the region that closed in 1929. Even when matured in casks that might seem improbable, including some wine casks, in my book Ballechin always holds its own.

We’re going to put that to the test once again today, with versions bottled quite recently or over the past few years.
Just a heads-up: Ballechin typically comes in at 50ppm peat! I nearly forgot, Edradour is celebrating its 200th anniversary today, and as for me, I’m turning 35 on this very day too. Okay, add another 30 to that. So really, these little Ballechins are my own birthday present to myself.
There will certainly be quite a few versions matured in wine casks, but it's true that this technique is perfectly mastered at Edradour – at least, that’s what we found at tastings. And while they may be rather 'creative', they are at the very least true connoisseurs of wine. Let’s dive in, randomly, as we like to do. We’ll kick things off with an indie bottling…

Ballechin 18 yo 2003/2022 (48.5%, Whisky Sponge, refill sherry butt, No47, 353 bottles)

A cask sourced from… Signatory Vintage! So, this is a semi-official, or semi-independent, depending on how you look at it. Colour: amber. Nose: this smells like greedy peat, a concept we’ve just now invented for my birthday. As if someone had walked some cakes through a fireplace. There’s also strong cough syrup laced with honey and an ashtray brimming with fat cigar butts. Feels a bit capitalist, but all in all, I’m very much into it. Mouth: it’s fairly massive and, more importantly, very different from all the other celebrated peaters, except perhaps for a few stray Ledaigs. Balsamic touches, mixed peppers, soot, smoke, ashes, and then more and more of those… meat-stuffed cabbage rolls, even Brussels sprouts. So yes, there’s a rather farmy side to this one, which we like a lot, although it’s quite different from the farmy notes of Brora, for example. Finish: long but balanced, almost elegant. Leather and pepper, some bitter oranges, and salted liquorice as the final flourish. Comments: this is fairly spectacular. It was clever to reduce it to 48.5%, it’s made it almost civilised. ‘Almost’, we said.
SGP:567 - 88 points.

Right, after that introductory malt, let’s try to pick up the pace, with another 18/2003…

Ballechin 18 yo 2003/2021 (51.3%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, refill hogshead, cask #165, 285 bottles)

Colour: chardonnay. Nose: fine and precise, on chalk and other white soils, flint, and just a hint of ham fat. That too could very well be a Ballechin marker. With water: toasted sesame oil! Love that. Mouth (neat): not much sherry, rather a chiselled profile, on old aluminium army pans and green apple, gradually rounding out with smoked honey and even a touch of vanilla. Considerably simpler, but at least as charming as the previous one. With water: turns more mentholated. Some green Chartreuse. Finish: long and saline, though narrow, which works in its favour here. Comments: a slightly gentler version, despite the higher wattage. Excellent overall.
SGP: 556 - 88 points.

Just a reminder, 2003 was Ballechin’s first vintage. A fine debut! Let’s carry on with 2004…

Ballechin 18 yo 2004/2022 (49.7%, OB, Port Cask Matured, cask #202, 257 bottles)

Port and peat—that, in my modest experience, is often where things start to go wobbly. Colour: amber. Nose: let’s just say it screeches a little, but it’s fine, we’re not entirely in that dreaded mix of blackcurrant and raspberry jelly with cigarette ash, especially since the age here seems to have softened and rounded things out rather nicely. All those clashing aromas have started to merge, which is not usually the case with the countless ‘finished’ versions out there. I mean generally, across Scotland. Mouth: actually rather good, the red and black berries are very much present, but more in the form of slowly stewed preserves bubbling away in a copper cauldron (really?). Let’s say a little berry tart served with a cup of very tarry lapsang souchong. Finish: arrival of a few citrus fruits, especially blood oranges. Comments: not quite my thing stylistically, but probably one of the best peated + Port combos I’ve tried over the past twenty-five years. Now back then, stuff like this didn’t quite exist, ha.
SGP:756 - 85 points.

Ballechin 16 yo 2005/2022 (57%, Whisky Sponge, exclusive for Edradourian Knights, 2nd fill Sauternes barrique, cask #337, 238 bottles)

Once again, a semi-official—or perhaps the other way round. Sauternes can work with peat, especially in second fill. It can also be a complete disaster. Colour: amber. Nose: the miracles of second fill, here a delicate finesse of peach aromas, fresh pineapple and quince, all blended into a fully integrated smokiness and a touch of soft garden mint. With water: a few petals of dried rose, let’s say three of them—the rest stays very much in line. Hints of wormwood. Mouth (neat): who’s been running apricots through the smoker again? Joking aside, this really feels like the invention of a new aroma, more like a fruitier cough syrup than a simple layering exercise. With water: a slight two-step effect, hints of lychee and rose in lapsang souchong. We’re moving more clearly into oriental territory. Finish: long, with the return of the key players—the apricots. Smoked, of course. Comments: a faint touch of rose cake in the background, but this is very good indeed.
SGP:656 - 87 points.

Ballechin 14 yo 2007/2021 (56%, OB for Les Amis du Cask, 40 months Vouvray matured, cask #801, 298 bottles)

First time I’ve heard of Les Amis du Cask, but I’ve no doubt they’re lovely people. Something quite interesting here: the juxtaposition of ‘matured’ and ‘40 months’ clearly shows that once you go beyond 3 years—so, 36 months—you’re allowed to call it a maturation rather than a finishing. So, when a label says, ‘matured in sherry cask’, for instance, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been ‘fully matured’. Many Speyside distilleries play that game, for example. Here, it’s crystal clear! But then again, they make dry wines as well as sweet, even fortified, and even sparkling wines in Vouvray, so which is it? Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s less fused than the Sponge Sauternes, livelier, almost herbal, with notes of liquorice wood and a hint of coconut. Quite intriguing. With water: damp earth, chalk, fresh cement—love that. Mouth (neat): sweeter at first, more ‘chenin blanc’, peatier too, with a touch of rather tense aggression coming through after a few seconds, all on grapefruit. With water: the grapefruit remains, and salinity starts to build. Finish: citrus peels, amaro, ginger tonic, Noilly. All in all, something of a ready-made Scottish martini. Comments: very nice indeed.
SGP:566 - 86 points.

By the way, sometimes we don’t mention the peat when it’s obvious. Just check the SGP index at the end — when the P is high, it means it’s very peated!

Ballechin 14 yo 2008/2022 (61%, OB, Grand Arôme Cask Matured, cask #226, 480 bottles)

A rather burly little bird with a fine moustache told me this was an ex-Savanna cask—which is good news, of course. We've often dreamt of peated malt + high-ester rum blends, and here comes just such a configuration. Colour: white wine. Nose: very disappointing, precisely because we were expecting it. I know, that makes no sense, but there are zero surprises here, the combo just works perfectly. It’s both brutal and refined, very smoky and heavy on varnishes, all brought together with glorious bitter almonds and olives. With water: same but now with mosses, ferns and pine needles. Mouth (neat): perfect. Sublime tension, freshness, majestic peppers… and those acetone-and-ash-laced olives! With water: it slaps you twice and you ask for more. It’s the worst. Finish: long, taut as a fishing line that's just hooked some salmon, not far from Pitlochry. Well then… A drop of limoncello in the aftertaste. Comments: yes, this is a totally implausible trans-genre premix on paper. But my, is it good.
SGP:566 - 89 points.

Ballechin 16 yo 2005/2022 (54.4% Dramcatcher, 2nd fill sherry hogshead, cask #342, 255 bottles)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: a little medicinal at first, like a glass of, say, Berocca, then moving more towards sticking plasters, with marzipan and damp hay as well. It’s interesting and different. With water: fir resin and, above all, very dark, moist potting soil. And mushrooms, naturally. Mouth (neat): more precise, peatier, more on bitter oranges, gentian, pepper, lemon zest, clove… With water: orange cake, smoked, peppered, salted. Or something of that ilk. Finish: fairly long, on savoury Bahlsen-style snack biscuits. Comments: does the job perfectly, though perhaps without the flourish of some of the earlier ones. Excellent, nonetheless.
SGP:555 - 85 points.

Right then, a brand new one…

Ballechin 12 yo 2012/2025 (57.2%, Signatory Vintage, Cask Strength Collection for LMDW Itinéraires, 1st fill oloroso butt, cask #421, 564 bottles)

This one’s just out, being released for Whisky Live Paris at the end of the week. Colour: amber. Nose: 1st fill perhaps, but it’s very lively, on bitter almond, equally bitter orange, green walnut, and a firm whiff of metal polish. It’s also very medicinal. With water: herbal teas, eucalyptus, walnut husk, and a packet of bidis—got a light? Mouth (neat): reminds one of some youthful old-school Ardbegs in this style, but this Ballechin is a touch more brutish, thicker than on the nose, spicy, on leather and especially dark chocolate. With water: like an orange marmalade, only more complex, brighter, spicier, and, above all, more liquid. Ha. Excellent. Finish: long and spicier still, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, fir wood… Comments: this heavy-hitting, spicy, almost domineering side might feel intimidating, but we surrender. Gladly.
SGP:467 - 87 points.

Ballechin 12 yo 2013/2025 (48.2%, OB for LMDW Itinéraires, 1st fill Monbazillac hogshead, cask #802, 355 bottles)

A very traditional sweet wine, rather old-fashioned, some are middling, but the best can be quite superb. Colour: gold. Nose: honey, mandarin, and English cigarette smoke. I say English because I don’t believe Scotland ever had its own cigarette brands, did it? That’s all, and that’s plenty. Mouth: killer. Smoked mandarins, heather honey, orange liqueur, pipe tobacco, coriander seeds. Finish: same, just a tad more peppery. Comments: dangerously charming, it goes down far too easily. Sublime fruity peat, not a phrase we use lightly. The sort of thing that might just re-boost Monbazillac’s reputation.
SGP:765 - 89 points.

Ballechin 12 yo 2013/2025 (48.2%, OB for LMDW Itinéraires, 1st fill Jurançon hogshead, cask #810, 341 bottles)

Sweet Jurançons belong among the greatest dessert wines in the world, provided you pick the right estates—though there’s not much rubbish around. We could make recommendations, but this is neither the time nor the place. Colour: gold. Nose: very close to the Monbazillac version. Perhaps just a tad more floral? We’re already nit-picking… Mouth: forget it, it’s just plain excellent. Sublime citrus over finer peat than expected. Unless the two elements have softened one another. Apricots and lemons, wow. Finish: long and a little more rooty than the Monbazillac’s, but still in the same ballpark. Comments: you could pour yourself a double magnum of each and still not decide whether the Jurançon or the Monbazillac wins. Life can be hard sometimes.
SGP:655 - 89 points.

In short, Edradour shows great mastery indeed in using sweet or dessert white wine casks. Even if the word ‘hogshead’ might sound a bit funny — after all, no one in France uses hogsheads. Not even whisky distillers, ha. But Scottish coopers are smart and skilled.

Let’s keep going; after all, it’s a double celebration…

Ballechin 10 yo 2013/2023 (57.7%, OB, LMDW New Vibrations, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #20, 223 bottles)

Here we should be closer to the distillate itself, without wine—great or otherwise—blocking or diverting the path. Colour: pale gold. Nose: here we are, nature in its purest form, delicate, chiselled, on grist, chalk and ash, with lemon and apple lingering in the background. With water: zero (zero + zero) change. Mouth (neat): terrifyingly compact. Lemon, rubber, lapsang souchong. That said, the rubber might be a touch heavy, no? With water: actually not, the water relaxes it all and brings out salted lemon juice mixed with Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Since we were speaking of white wine… Finish: fairly long but narrow again. A real comet. Lemon and grist. Comments: not the most complex, even slightly stripped back aromatically, but there’s nothing out of place either. Tricky to score, especially after those improbable yet superb Jurançon and Monbazillac bombs.
SGP:566 - 86 points.

Ballechin 15 yo ‘Second Secret Edition’ (48.5%, Whisky Sponge, 121 bottles, 2021)

A label quoting Paul McCartney—that’s not something you see every day, but reliable sources say The Sponge was a fan of Sir Paul. As are his new impersonators. Colour: Nose: fir needles and honeydew, alum stone, small apples from an old orchard. Mouth: now this is very good. Apples, roots, sea water, green olives, oysters… This time there’s clearly an Islay accent, though I’ve no idea where it’s coming from. I could ask the Sponge, but the Sponge no longer exists. Finish: long and perfect, like a Russian symphony (pre-Putin). Comments: what can one say, it’s rather magnificent and crosses Scottish regional lines, from Islay to Mull with a detour through Campbeltown.
SGP:467 - 89 points.

Ballechin 2010/2022 (59.1%, OB for Navigate World Whisky, 2nd fill Marsala, cask #288, 255 bottles)

A version for South Africa. We really must head to South Africa one day. Since visiting the south-west of Sicily, mind you, our regard for Marsala wines has risen sharply—especially those from Marco de Bartoli. Colour: white wine. Nose: seems to be a Marsala in the fino, or perhaps vin jaune style, tight, dry, on flint, limestone, green apple… The combination with Ballechin works, no question. With water: washing powder, wet slate, paraffin, and so on. Mouth (neat): simply very good, very powerful, full-throttle, though just a touch austere at this stage. With water: bitter-salty almonds, natural white wine, drops of seawater… Finish: long, very close to raw materials—barley and dry wine and such. Comments: let’s make a vintage 1980s-style remark, just for fun: it’s not quite as sexy as Brigitte Bardot, but it’s as alluring as a voluptuous Ferrari fresh from the factory. Shame on us.
SGP:466 - 87 points.

We’ll stop here, that makes 13 Ballechins, and 13 is the perfect lucky number. Here’s to the next 200 years of Edradour!

Check the index of all Ballechen and Edradour we've tasted