When the distillery was purchased in 2002, Andrew Symington enlisted the help of Iain Henderson, former director of Laphroaig distillery, to create a heavily peated second single malt. Named Ballechin, this second single malt is made using 50 ppm phenol malted barley, comparable to some of the most heavily peated malts from Islay. Available since 2006, it is an annual limited release of 6,000 bottles. Even more revolutionary than its predecessor, Ballechin is aged entirely in wine casks, starting with Burgundy and Madeira.

This Ballechin 2007 was selected exclusively for Whisky Live Singapore 2019, and was aged for two years in an ex-Karuizawa 1965 cask, the year of Singapore’s independence. Bottled at its natural strength, without any filtration or coloring, it is intense and surprising. The peat of the Highlands perfectly complements the spices, leather and precious wood notes. Some fruits and cand citruses soften the whole. Superb! A limited edition of 444 bottles, from cask #901.