Batch 8

Nice whisky for a summer evening.

Young, but also beautiful and very drinkable and overall quite unique. It's fun!

Ralfy review 416: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2GAc71ms-s (87/100).

A whisky matured in exclusively Sauternes wine barrels from the Edradour distillery.

Although the finish could have been a little longer, this is a very balanced smoker. The Sauternes Hogsheads have done a good job as the resulting fruit notes blend in very well.

A wounderfull balanced peaty whisky. The sauterness finish complement the Ballechin.

Color - copper gold; Nose - very peaty, already fatty in the smell, with sweet wine behind it; Taste - very tasty, buttery, perfect balance of peat/smoke and sweet wine sweetness; Finish - medium long, warm, sweet

Nose: Greeted by a peaty smoke, exotic fruit, a ripe mango springs to mind. Palate: The smoky mango theme continues, both in pleasant intensity, leather and dried apricot. Finish: pleasant smoke, sweetness but ultimately also slightly bitter.

01.11.2023

Not the most complex of Ballechin, but surely one of the best. A top whisky. Who would have thought?

Good balanced and interesting whisky but no high flyer (77/100)

Another absolutely outstanding bottling from the Discovery series. After the Marsala, definitely my favorite in the series. And in my opinion completely underrated here. The Sauternes barrel harmonizes wonderfully with the (slightly cowshed-smelling) smoke. It never seems young. On the contrary, it has lovely, bitter oak notes. Creamy and sweet on the tongue. Great, light fruity. If the finish were a little longer, I would have given it the best rating in the series.

One of the better Ballechins with its sweet smoke note. But Batch 7 remains the best!

So far I have been able to try batches 6, 7 and 8. All three are outstanding.

Aroma Needs time in the jar! Sweet, fruity, sulphur The taste Creamy, sweet, spicy, leather aftertaste Medium length, sweet, spicy, dirty

Brief notes taken during an online blind tasting.

Edradour Ballechin Sauternes Cask Matured The Discovery Series 46%. Golden dark yellow-orange. Aroma is peppery, charcoal briquettes with lighter fluid, some apple has been toasted in the oven for some reason, burnt wax, all quite muted and set against a touch of burnt orange peel or maybe grapefruit. Even though that all sounds interesting, to be honest it's mostly muted and papery. After an hour in the glass (which became necessary as my baby woke up) it becomes more dessert wine-led. But it seems that you wait, wait, wait for that. Oily body. Taste also makes me think of oil up front, smoke carries through at a pleasant level, faintly ‘dirty’ in a pungent coal gas sort of way but not really sulphur or anything. Some similarities to an inferior bottling of Kilchoman Sanaig or even modern sherry-seasoned Highland Park bottlings (Dragon Legend comes to mind). Basically, what I'm trying to say is the Sauternes comes across a bit like sherry-seasoned casks for me. The smoke is pleasant and doesn't take over the show. The cask has left appley, ever so slightly tart raisin impressions. There's a muted stove gas vibe. On the whole, this is a decent whisky. Can't complain, but not something I'd be clambering over myself to buy a bottle of either. 3.4/81

Maybe I'm not in a good mood today, but the nose is awesome, it's a Chameleon in the mouth, the nose is just beginning to reappear, the ashen smoke is clear, but the fruit is almost gone. It remains an indefinable aroma block, which you do not get divergent. Some spices and a touch of cherries, but the rest undefinable. Drops from the nose to the finish, but a good and interesting whisky. As part of a blind tasting tasted

Nose: strong peat, wine notes, slightly maritime, almost smoked fish. Mouth: strong, sweet, tart, but still young notes, which could also be the wine finish. Finish: nice smoky sweet, some oak. Delicious. Conclusion: a smoker to my liking.

I like it well, the influence of Sauternes is clearly noticeable, but well integrated and only temporarily distracting in the nose. Sauternes needs a clear counterpole, which the strong smoke can offer here clearly.

Some smoke, sweetness, wood, OK.

In comparison with the other types (bourbon and bordeaux) of the cask matured series I liked this dram the most! Think about buying a full 0,7l bottle...

a fine whisky with smoke and spices. the sauternes influence is perfect. I really enjoyed this fruity and fresh tastes. well balanced!

With a little bit of water, the fruit comes to the fore in all aspects.