Ballindalloch 2015 Bourbon Cask #33 & Ballindalloch 2014 Engraved Cask #106

Ballindalloch 2015 Bourbon Cask #33

Region: Speyside

ABV: 59.4%

Price: £100.00 

Distilled at Ballindalloch on 29 January 2015 and bottled on 10 July 2026 after 11 years of maturation, this UK-market single-cask release was matured in bourbon hogshead #33. 

Nose

The nose opens with fairly bright citrus, fresh lemon peel, sponge cake with whipped vanilla cream, some digestive biscuits, and light fudge notes. Lots of bourbon cask sweetness upfront, but sitting behind this are fresh peaches, green apples, sherbet, and some runny honey. It's got a bit of an alcohol kick on the nose, but overall it's a clean, fresh bourbon cask with a bright, fruity spirit character underneath. The spirit has a real esthery character, we understand it has 140+ hour fermentation contributing to that.

Palate

The palate opens with more upfront citrus, the lemon is now zingy lemonade, there's more sherbet, tangy orange sweeties, vanilla bean, and a bit of white pepper lingering into the finish. We're also finding a host of apples, peaches and nectarines, bringing a real fruity character underneath the bourbon cask sweetness. Our one gripe is the alcohol - it's a bit punchy in places, but it's bearable. The mouthfeel is nice, it's got a sugar syrup texture, and we're getting richer candied ginger, caramel and toffee flavours appear as we go back to it.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings more buttery aromas, fresh baked brioche bread, fudge sundae, with a hint of tropicality in the background. There's some mushy banana and apricots joining the apples and peaches. The alcohol is a little softer now, but still a little punchy.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate hasn't changed too much, the zingy citrus is still there, albeit a bit more muted, and there's more sponge cake and honey, alongside sugar syrup drizzled over fruit. Water has opened it up a bit, but it's not necessary to enjoy the dram.

Conclusion

This is a really solid single bourbon cask, and our style of whisky. It's clean, fresh, and vibrant - you get both the spirit and cask flavours/aromas in equal measures, and they've integrated well with each other. We're really liking what Ballindalloch are doing, and are keeping our eyes out for more releases.

Score: 8/10

Value

It's pricey for an 11yo whisky, but we understand the distillery has a very small production so that will play into it.

Ballindalloch 2014 Engraved Cask #106

Region: Speyside

ABV: 61.3%

Price: £195.00 

Distilled at Ballindalloch on 18 November 2014 and bottled on 7 November 2025 at 10 years old, this single-cask release was matured for its full term in Oloroso sherry butt #106, filled during the distillery’s inaugural year. The cask yielded 633 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with freshly grated ginger, brown sugar, toffee pops, and even a little chlorine, or maybe a slightly soapy note right in the background. There's a fair bit of sherry coming through here, lots of dried fruits - raisins, sultanas and plum jam, mixed with dark chocolate segments and a little rancio coming through as we get deeper into the glass. The alcohol feels well balanced, and there's also some glace cherry as the dram opens up. 

Palate

The palate opens with fizzy raspberry sweets, cherry jam, and some fresh strawberries - very red fruit forward. The palate then moves into warmer spices, cinnamon sticks and clove, finishing with some sweetened espresso and dark chocolate chunks. It's one of those palates that takes you on a journey, which is always nice to see. Going back, there's a fizziness to the dram, it's got a tangy sherry thing going on. The mouthfeel is ok - it's a bit thinner than we'd expect, but we're able to get some of the lighter, fruitier Ballindalloch spirit coming through as the dram opens up. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose is nuttier, lots of roasted, salted nuts, a few of them candied, dark brown sugar now, a little treacle and some cask char. It's lost some of that brightness, and the sherry is much more dominant now - we'd be hard pressed to tell you which distillery it came from.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate mirrors the reduced nose somewhat - those sherry flavours are richer and more intense, much more coffee - going into the spent coffee grounds, the dark chocolate is a higher percentage but there's still some lighter fruits in the background, nodding to that distillery character. We actually prefer the palate with a drop of water.

Conclusion

We were worried that the full sherry maturation would overpower the lighter Ballindalloch spirit - it has somewhat on the nose, but the palate still shows those orchard fruits and fresher citrus flavours. It's a solid sherry cask, although we think the spirit works better in bourbon wood.

Score: 7/10

Value

Even for a special release from the distilleries first year of production, this feels expensive.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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