Whisky: Ballechin 10 Year (2010), Signatory Vintage

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 58.9%

Cask: First Fill Sherry Butt

Age:10 Years (Distilled 13 Aug. 2010, Bottled 15 Sept. 2020)

Nose: Chocolate, meat, and fruit. Rich chocolate and cherry black forest cake with sweet, salty bacon on top, velvety smoke off a winter log fire, and sizzling ham touching down on a grill with smoldering charcoal briquettes— the sizzle of fat, caramelization of sugars, and smoke from fat dripping down. Back at the dessert table with rich espresso notes, dark chocolate, and hints of amaretto.

Palate: Medium-bodied and rich with chocolate, smoke, and fruit notes. Background hints of pepper, tobacco, caramel, and dried berries lingered behind dark chocolate and espresso. Chocolate-covered bacon and grill smoke covered the palate in a warm embrace.

Finish: Lingering notes of bittersweet smoked chocolate.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Chocolate Bacon Latte

Notes: A fist of chocolate-covered bacon punch in the mouth— that was how this dram felt. Ballechin, the heavily peated spirit produced at Edradour, never fits easily into a tasting lineup. It blows out the palate like an Octomore, so there is no point attempting to taste anything afterward. Yet, subtle complexities get washed out if one pours a bunch of other scotch before settling down for the Ballechin. In my opinion, it goes best by itself with nothing else to crowd out the glass or mess with the palate. However, because Ballechin is best suited to be an only cat, I always seem to put off tasting it.

Overall, the flavor profile was wonderfully intense and rich, with tons of meaty chocolatey notes that combined in surprising ways. Notes of charcoal and espresso wrapped my palate in a warm cozy blanket as hints of fruit and tobacco drifted by. I found this right up my alley as I stood equidistant from the grill and the dessert table.

Image Credit: Whiksybase