Ballechin (Edradour) 12 yr Sherry Cask Strength (Dist 2009) Whiskey 700ml

Edradour distillery, near Pitlochry in Perthshire, is famously Scotland's smallest, producing whisky by hand using stills so diminutive they represent the minimum size permitted under excise regulations. Founded in 1825 and now owned by Andrew Symington's Signatory Vintage since 2002, the distillery still crafts only a handful of casks each week. Ballechin is Edradour's heavily peated line, launched in 2003 and named after a defunct Perthshire farm distillery, created with guidance from Iain Henderson, the former director of Laphroaig, to bring an Islay-style intensity to Highland whisky.

This particular release was distilled in October 2009 and matured for twelve years in a single Oloroso sherry cask, using barley peated to a minimum of 50 parts per million, a level comparable to Islay's smokiest malts. Bottled at cask strength as part of the Straight From The Cask series, it comes in at 58.1% ABV, non-chill filtered and naturally colored, with a limited outturn of fewer than a thousand bottles worldwide.

The nose combines smoked meats, honey-roasted nuts, and menthol with hints of milk chocolate. On the palate, sultana and raisin sweetness meets deep peat and malty smoke, building toward a rich, spiced intensity. The finish is long and warming, closing on ginger, dark coffee, and roasted nuts.