Nose: Significant peat smoke flows out of the glass. This is accompanied by a pleasant sweetness in the nose. The sherry keg hides slightly behind the smoke, but becomes more and more clear over time and brings dark dried fruit with it. There are mainly a few raisins, but also smoked bacon. Undiluted, the alcohol is quite present, which is why I add a few drops of water. The nose benefits enormously from the water, and now lets your mouth water. There are more fruits now in the direction of ripe blackberries and red gooseberries. In addition, an even more intense sweetness that reminds of cotton candy. The smoke continues to fade into the background.

Taste: On the tongue, the almost 60% Vol. Also attack directly. Very intense is the peat smoke in the foreground. Nevertheless, the barrel also gets its space. The sweetness takes a back seat and makes room for more bitter notes of dark chocolate and a few hazelnuts. Without water, the malt is a bit too much for me. With water, the fruitiness is a little more on the palate. I find raisins and the already mentioned red gooseberry. Overall, rather harsh, which I really like.

Finish: Medium. Dark chocolate, ginger, grapefruit peel, some oak and long-lasting peat smoke.

Conclusion: Overall, this Ballechin is a very successful malt, which was not killed by the barrel. Without water, the Ballechin works a bit too hard for me. However, if you play with water and dilute the malt, the result is great. Complex, balanced and simply delicious. I am curious what to expect, because that was only the first of 13 whiskys from the "The War of the Peat" series.