Have you visited Edradour Distillery? Short guide about Edradour distillery

The small town of Pittlochry is home to the distillery Edradour - read about the history behind the distillery and their delicious whiskies

Have you visited Edradour Distillery? Short guide about Edradour distillery

Post by Luka Gottschalk

Edradour is one of the smallest traditional whisky distilleries in Scotland, founded back in 1825. Edradour has only a few employees and has a maximum annual capacity of around 200,000 liters of alcohol. At the distillery's inception, it was named Glenforres distillery. Today Edradour is owned by Signatory Vintage, which is primarily an independent bottler. They are based in Pitlochry, Perthshire, and are therefore referred to as a Highland distillery.

Edradour The distillery only has 2 stills, and both of these are made of copper. However, in 2018, the distillery expanded with another set to produce more of the lovely råsprit. Copper stills are rumored to have a positive effect on the final taste of the raw spirit. The flavor of traditional Edradour whisky leans closely to the flavor of a Speyside whisky. In the vast majority of cases, sherry casks are used to age traditional Edradour whisky. It often offers sweet fruit notes, and in some cases can be reminiscent of a good bottle of Demerara rum.

Edradour In addition to traditional Edradour whisky, they produce a smoked variant called Ballechin. Ballechin smoked whisky is only produced 2 days a week at the Edradour distillery. Ballechin whisky is sometimes smoked up to 50 ppm, which is on par with a coarse-grained Islay whisky.

For this post, I have chosen 2 different expressions from the distillery Edradour distillery, a 12 year cask strength Edradour, and a 10 year Ballechin.

Edradour 2010 - 2022, 58,6 % Ibisco - Sherry cask

Color: Very dark color, like a coffee with a reddish tinge.

Nose: A sharp freshnose of red apples, freshly squeezed lemon and blackcurrant.

Palate: Blackcurrant returns in full force, followed by red grapes, olorosso, and bell pepper. It has a low viscosity and feels very smooth on the tongue.

Finish: A short, balanced taste of malt, espresso, and plums. A slightly bitter mouthfeel.

With 2 drops of water: It is highly recommended to add a few drops of water to this bottling. A hazelnut aroma emerges, the grape flavor intensifies and extends the finish. A nutty aftertaste replaces the bitter note on the finish.

EDRADOUR 2010/2022 IBISCO DECANTER 12 YEARS NATURAL CASK STRENGTH SINGLE HIGHLAND MALT SCOTCH WHISKY 58.6%

Ballechin 10 years - Ex-Sherry, Ex-bourbon - 46%.

Color: Dark amber.

Nose: Lovely, mild aroma of plums, passion fruit, cedar, and burnt fruits. Here you can especially smell the influence of the ex-sherry casks.

Palate: Here you encounter a mild taste of stone fruit, strawberry, vanilla, caramel, currant jelly, and a mild bonfire smoke. It has a medium-high viscosity and gives a pleasant oily sensation on the tongue. It is the ex-bourbon casks that dominate the palette.