Burnsides and Balvenie


December 7, 2023

Burnsides and Balvenie

There's more Burnside (teaspooned Balvenie) than proper Balvenies around these days.

Mirabelles (Pleine Vie)

Taken From a Cask Labelled Burnside 23 yo 1999/2022 (49.2%, Acla Selection, Switzerland, Classic, blended malt, hogshead, cask #2139)

I like the name of this whisky, well done Swiss friends. Colour: straw. Nose: epitomically fresh Balvenie, shock-full of oranges, tangerines, apples and, drum-roll please, mirabelles! Plus quinces, Pilsner, hops and even more mirabelles. In my little book, Balvenie, unless heavily sherried, always means mirabelle plums. With just a drop of water: some barley syrup, toffee apples… Palate (neat): mirabelles, acacia honey, citron liqueur, quince jelly, touch of wormwood, all that with a creamy mouthfeel. There's nothing to throw away. With a drop of water: a little more vanilla, custard tart, otherwise a perfect summary of everything one might find in a quaint, old garden in the heart of Europe. See what I mean, it's ravishing. Finish: long, with a little citrus chiming in, lime, candy sugar, drops of sweet ale, apple liqueur… And of course, mirabelles. Comment: extremely close to the core of the distillery. Lovable drop, very, very close to perfection.
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Burnside 28 yo 1994/2022 (45.4%, Whisky Picnic Bar, Taiwan, 1st fill bourbon hogshead, cask #3523, 207 bottles)

We've already noticed quite a few times that these good people over there in Taiwan knew how to select a cask. Colour: gold. Nose: oh. Old beeswax (when it gets darker), old Sauternes (ditto), banana wine, overripe mirabelles (the ones people usually distill – we did this year BTW), old furniture polish, humidor, citron liqueur, white chocolate, mead, then embrocations, camphor, secret balms… There's something voodoo in there. Mouth: mysteriously meady, with notes of very old chardonnay, buttercream, walnuts, sour apples, medlars, jujubes… You would believe there's some old cognac in there too. Tiny touch of coconut wine, white currant jelly (why oh why has that become so rare?), elderflower liqueur… Then beeswax again and 'soft old spices' from the cask, soft cinnamon, a touch of black tea… Finish: medium, this time more on dried fruits, figs first. Some menthol in the aftertaste, which is refreshing indeed. Comment: a very chic old Burnside, very emblematic of the distillery.
SGP:641 - 90 points.

Burnside 28 yo 1994/2022 (48.2%, HNWS, The Spirits Hunter, Taiwan, hogshead, cask #5137, 236 bottles)

I have the feeling that this shouldn't be too different. Just a slightly silly question, supposing the distillery wanted to buy back one or more of these sublime barrels, could they revert them to single malt and sell them under the Balvenie name? Or are they doomed to remain Burnside blended malt, reserved for true connoisseurs like you and me? Hope so, ha-ha. Colour: light gold. Nose: it's a tenser, tighter 1994, showing less age and more fresh Western fruits, rather in the style of Acla's 1999. This means we have various apples, beers, plums (includes mirabelles), loads of quinces, honeys, flowers (honeysuckle)… There's a lot Nature in there. Mouth: there was little doubt that this would be perfectly fruity, between apples and pears, plums, lemons… Now there's also a little more wood, green tea, green spices… I believe the Picnic is keeping the upper hand all along, as it is significantly more complex. Finish: rather long, sweet, maltier. Bananas flambéed au whisky. Au Balvenie, bien sûr. Comment: no, it's very excellent too. Isn't it tricky when whiskies are this close to each other? Just forget about scores, please, they are only personal.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Good, please an OB…

Balvenie 18 yo 'Classic' (43%, OB, Marie Brizard Import France, 75cl, +/-1985)

This Balvenie dates from a time when it was still in good taste for a Scotch whisky to draw on an imagery more commonly associated with French brandies, in this case the famous Basque bottles also known by the general public as "raquette" (racquet) bottles. There was also a ten-year-old aged in a more "Cognac-style" bottle, as well as NAS and 12 yo versions of this 'racket' bottle. Colour: pale gold. Nose: much more "old Highlands" than the more recent Balvenies, with a lot of polish, some deliciously rancid walnut oil, engine oil, and even kirsch and service berry. Then acacia honey, quince, and mirabelle plum notes, more typical of contemporary Balvenies, do start to appear after about ten minutes but remain rather discreet. Old walnuts and polish ultimately prevail. Palate: the whisky has probably evolved over the years, now displaying notes of broth, marrow, salt, and leek, mingled with walnuts and a rancio character that has become completely dry. Finish: medium length, saline, quite oxidative, with tobacco and still nuts. Sometimes reminiscent of an old amontillado. A hint of pine smoke at the very end. Comment: this subject remains highly controversial, but for me, this old Balvenie has evolved in its bottle like a great Pauillac, certainly slowly, but surely. However, I cannot tell you if the "Basque" shape of the bottle has further favoured this evolution, we will try to remember to ask a few friends in the Gers or in the Landes about that.
SGP:562 - 90 points

Check the index of all Balvenie we've tasted so far