Edradour Ballechin # 7 Review

“The Pink Panther From Pitlochry”

Country: Scotland

Region: Southern Highlands

Brand: Edradour Ballechin # 7 Bordeaux Cask (The Discovery Series)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: NAS (Said to be around 10 Years)

Alcohol: 46%

Edradour, the Farm Distillery

Colour: Bronze with a touch of Red.

Nose: Despite the high PPM (comparable to Ardbeg) the Peat and Smoke are not at all dominant. It's like a Veil of Fog, hanging there in the back of the Glass. Well Done! My main impression is of Cooked (Dark) Red Fruits like Raspberries, Strawberries and Blackcurrants. I also find Hay, Flowery Perfume, Butter Cake, Mandarin, Red Wine, Cooked Apples, light Vanilla, Fresh Wood, Wax, Herbs and Spices. Finally I detect Acetone and a distant hint of Leather. It's not bad but a bit too much Cooked Fruits for a Whisky. At least, for my Nose!

Some of the Cask Types Used

Taste: Good Delivery. On the Palate the Peat is more noticeable alongside Sour Red Fruit (Berries) and Flowery Perfume. It's quite Dry and Spicy with Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Salt. I also find traces of Vanilla, Butter, Licorice and Leather.

The Wash Backs

Finish: Quite Long with Peat, Smoke, Tar, Ashes, Leather, Red Fruit, Buttered Toast, Cocoa Powder, Pepper, Nutmeg and an interesting hint of Salted Meat. For me it's the best part of this Edradour.

Still # 2

This Edradour does not benefit from added Water. The ABV of 46% is Spot On for this Expression.

Rating: 84.5 

Nose: 21 - Taste: 21 – Finish: 21.5 – Overall: 21

The Smallest Distillery in Scotland

General Remarks: The Edradour Distillery was founded in 1825 and is located in Pitlochry, Perthshire. It changed hands various times but in 2002 it was bought by Andrew Symington/The Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co.Ltd. from the French Pernod Ricard Group. It's the smallest distillery in Scotland with an annual production of only 130.000 litres. All of the Spirit is sold as Single Malt Whisky. The core range consists of the 10 Years and the 12 Years Caledonia. Edradour experiments heavily with Wine Finishing using a.o. Sherry, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Port, Marsala, Chardonnay, Chateauneuf du Pape and Barolo Casks. The Ballechin expressions on the other hand fully mature in Wine Casks. The Ballechin # 7  that I am reviewing today, was launched in 2012 and matured in Ex-Bordeaux Casks. Edradour produces both peated and un-peated Spirit. The heavily peated Ballechin # 7 Bordeaux (50 PPM) costs around 80 US Dollars.  Only 6000 Bottles were produced. The Ballochin # 7 is Naturally Coloured and Non Chill-Filtered. 

The Setting is Really Nice!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Usually I'm not a big fan of Edradour but I have to say that they did well with the Ballechin # 7. It's got a lot of Red Fruit and you have to like that in a Whisky. But the interaction of the Peat and other Aromas and Flavours is nicely done. And I especially enjoyed he Finish and the unexpected hint of Salted Meat. As you probably know I'm not a huge fan of the Whisky and Red Wine combo but there are always exceptions and this is one of them. So if you like the Flavour profile you can't go wrong with this Edradour Despite the rather high price level and the horrible packaging!

Cleaning Out the Closet!

Some Data: The name Edradour means "Between Two Waters".  It's located just outside Pitlochry close to the A 924 and 27 miles north of Perth. The Distillery possesses 1 open cast iron Mash Tun, 2 Wash Backs of Oregon Pine and 2 Stills. Edradour is one of the last remaining Farm Distilleries and its location is very picturesque. A Visitor Centre was opened in 1982. It includes a very nice Shop and a Tasting Bar. It's the third most visited Scotch Distillery with an average of 90.000 visitors per year. 

Still # 1

The water for the distillery is sourced from the springs on Moulin Moor. From May to October, Edradour opens from Monday to Saturday from 9.30 to 17.00 hours, except in May and October when it opens at 10.00. It also opens on Sundays from 12.00 to 17.00. From November to April it opens from Monday to Saturday from 10.00 to 16.00 and on Sunday from 12.00 to 16.00 except in January and February when it's closed on Sundays. The Standard Tour costs 5 Pounds and can be a bit messy when there are lots of visitors. 

Some Casks Maturing in the Warehouse

We visited Edradour on Monday, May 26 2014. The weather that day was not too bad. Rain at times but some Sunshine as well. We did the Standard Tour and, as stated above, there were lots of visitors. Various groups were doing the Tour at the same time and it became a bit messy. Our Group for instance started at the Warehouse and worked our way back through the production process, thereby constantly clashing with groups that followed the correct order of things. Before the Tour started we tasted a peated Edradour, the 10 Years and a Whisky Liqueur. At times I felt that Edradour has become a touristic attraction rather than a Whisky Distillery that can be visited. Tourism is big business at Edradour these days and it looks like they are making more money on that than on the actual Whisky sales. Let's hope that Edradour will be able to find a balance between Tourism and making good Whisky in the coming years.  

The Pink Panther from Pitlochry!

Jan van den Ende                                                        December 23, 2014

Edradour, Certainly Worth a Visit!