Whisky: Ballechin 13 Year (2004) SFTC Cask 205

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 54.3

Cask: Port Cask

Age: 13 Years (Distilled 20 April 2004, Bottled 15 Jan. 2018)

Nose: Campfire, blackberries, pastry crust, cordite, leather hiking boots.

Palate: Medium-bodied with sharp, sweet berries, gun smoke, bacon, earth, chocolate, hints of lime, pecans, and nutmeg at the end.

Finish: Medium-length trail mix— berries and nuts.

Score: 6

Mental Image: Cannon Smoke over Bacon and Trail mix

Narrative & Notes: A nicely balanced Ballechin with an aroma that drifted between gun smoke, blackberry brambles, and bacon. I imagined sharing hunting stories in the cabin, our clothes still smelling of gun smoke while we cooked down our foraged blackberries to make a pie. Earth and leather came through as if cleaning off leather boots and rubber soles from the day's mud. The palate was less earthy with distinct notes of slightly tart blackberries and lime which were overtaken by gun smoke and meaty bacon on the mid-palate. A lovely nutty spice lingered at the end as chocolate developed across the entire experience. A few drops of water brought out more chocolate and spice while pushing the smoke further in the background.

I thought this Ballechin was relatively tame compared to my prior experiences. I often think of Ballechin as the equivalent of Octomore— not in terms of peat level— instead, the aggressive flavor profiles and the ability of the spirit to just numb my palate for any future drams. This release was far tamer and I was not left feeling as though everything tasted like Ballechin after I tried it (though in none of my tasting experiences did I bother trying anything after).

Overall, the dram left me imagining a Civil War reenactment— the smell of the cannons and the taste of trail mix on a clear morning.

Image Credit: Whiskybase