Ballechin 20 year old Heavily Peated - 1st-fill Moscato Passito Hogshead #801

Overview: The Ballechin 20 year old Heavily Peated - 1st-fill Moscato Passito Hogshead #801 at a glance

• Heavily peated Highland Single Malt: Ballechin with a phenol content of at least 50 ppm
• Exclusive single cask bottling: Matured in a first-fill Moscato Passito hogshead (#801)
• 20 years of maturation: Distilled in 2006 and bottled in 2026
• Strictly limited: Only 292 bottles produced
• Natural presentation: No coloring & no chill-filtration

Portrait: What makes the Ballechin 20 year old Heavily Peated - 1st-fill Moscato Passito Hogshead #801 special

When Andrew Symington speaks of a favorite wine, whisky fans take notice. The owner of Signatory Vintage is renowned for his exceptional cask selection and his eye for intriguing maturation profiles. It is hardly surprising, then, that an Italian Moscato Passito cask has found its way into the Ballechin series - after all, the independent bottler has been combining Scottish tradition with creative cask concepts for decades.

The Ballechin brand is produced by the historic Edradour Distillery in the Scottish Highlands. This small distillery is one of the country's most renowned independent distilleries, celebrated for its artisanal production methods and comparatively small output. While Edradour is primarily known for unpeated Highland single malts, Ballechin showcases the distillery's smoky side. The name pays tribute to a long-closed farm distillery in Perthshire, thereby bridging the gap between Scottish whisky history and the modern art of distillation.

This single cask bottling was distilled on February 6, 2006, and subsequently matured for two decades exclusively in a rare first-fill Moscato Passito hogshead—a cask that previously held one of Italy's most famous dessert wines. Andrew Symington’s particular fondness for Moscato Passito proved to be a boon for this single malt whisky. Some call it cask management; others might well describe it as a highly successful holiday romance between Scotland and Italy.

With a phenol content of at least 50 ppm, Ballechin unmistakably belongs to the heavily peated category. At the same time, the distillery remains true to its artisanal approach, regularly releasing distinctive single-cask bottlings with unique profiles. Cask No. 801 is no exception.

On March 13, 2026, just 292 bottles were filled from this cask. 

Anyone who secures a bottle acquires not only a Highland Single Malt aged for 20 years but also a taste of the spirit of experimentation for which Andrew Symington and Edradour have long been celebrated. Sometimes, all it takes is time, the right cask - and a favorite wine.

Distilled: February 6, 2006 
Bottled: March 13, 2026 
Cask No.: 801 
Outturn: 292 bottles 
Phenol content: at least 50 ppm

Tasting Notes: This is how the Ballechin 20 year old Heavily Peated - 1st-fill Moscato Passito Hogshead #801 tastes like

• Nose: Robust peat smoke, ripe apricots, and floral honey. Accompanied by vanilla, subtle wood spice, and delicate floral notes.
• Palate: Smoky and full-bodied, featuring caramel, apricots, and other stone fruits. Honey, oak spice, and a balanced sweetness round out the profile.
• Finish: Long and dry, with lingering smoke, ash, and smoldering charcoal. Spicy oak and mineral notes remain present right to the end.