The Whisky Exchange had two 20th Anniversary bottlings released in September. One was the Inchmoan 2007 cask #96, the other one this Ballechin 15 Years which only became available just now.
Ballechin 15 yo 2003
(55%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 20th Anniversary 2019, first-fill Oloroso sherry butt #204, 482 btl.)
Nose: Cuban cigars, walnuts, toasted bread, mixed with sweeter notes. Dark cherry or blackberry jam, burnt raisins and a lot of chocolate ganache. Also heavy pipe smoke, Lapsang and tarry notes underneath. Hints of leather, menthol and bandages. Rather clean by the way, I don’t find rubbery or sulphury notes.
Mouth: a flavour powerhouse. Thick, earthy peat smoke, pipe juice, tar and leather. Blackcurrants again, chocolate and bramble liqueur. There’s a tannic, winey side which I like a little less, but the charred oak, liquorice, soy sauce and aniseed cover it up.
Finish: long, on liquorice, herbal tea, bitter chocolate and tarry smoke.
Quite an extreme beast but beautifully so. For me just below their Edradour 2005 but I’m sure the peat smoke will be a huge asset for others. Only available from The Whisky Exchange.
Score: 88/100