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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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April 28, 2023 |
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WF's Little Duos, today Balblair
We've already had some great time at Balblair Distillery and, naturally, while having some Balblair in our glasses, especially those stunning official fruit bombs they would have distilled in the 1960s. Remember the 1966s 33 and 38? They've dropped the vintage statements only a few years ago, as Glenrothes did as well by the way. Not too sure, as in the collective psyche, vintage/millésimé means a superior product, not only with champagne. So, no vintage = inferior, and no age and = even more inferior. At WF Towers, at least! |
Balblair's bell (WF Archive) |
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Balblair 10 yo (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, MacPhail´s Collection, American oak hogsheads, +/-2020) 
Own-label Balblair 10 has always been a staple at G&M's. A great apéritif, with the only disadvantage of going down a little too fast. Colour: chardonnay. Nose: exactly on apples, green bananas, plums, with touches of coconut and vanilla, plus chalk and clay. I think I like it just the same as G&M's 'Discovery' 12 yo, which is a little fatter if I remember well. Mouth: a bigger drop than expected, perhaps a tad rawer and more spirity as well, with less of those extravagant orchard fruits of old. Greengages, some capsicum, lemon zest, a touch of ginger… Finish: medium and indeed, grassier than expected. Biting into some bananas and grapefruits without removing the skins. Comments: fine, of course, but some fruits may be missing.
SGP:461 - 82 points. |
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Balblair 14 yo 2008/2022 (57.5%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, for Switzerland, refill ex-bourbon barrel, #70.47, 'Nana's Squeaking Toy Chest', 126 bottles) 
I find it perfectly scandalous that given that this a bottling for Switzerland, they wouldn't have used words such as 'muesli' or 'fondue' in the funny description they always come up with (after intensive tastings, never before, which shows, right?) Colour: Nose (rather close but this is tighter and tenser, with no vanilla-ed hoopla whatsoever, only gooseberries, greengages, slate, weissbeer and lime. With water: a little 'good soap', almond milk, wool, mint, resins, vetiver… Well it loves water – and I'm not using Swiss glacier water (while they have some). Mouth: peppery lemons at first, then a lot of kirschwasser and bitter almonds. It's really tight when unreduced. With water: very good, with some fairly uncertain but lovely and unusual touches of gewurztraminer, rosewater, lychees… Grape skin in the background. Finish: medium, fruitier, more on jelly babies and beans and crocodiles and little Jesus. Comments: it is a very lovely, almost ultra-tight Balblair by the honourable Society. Hoppla Geisss!
SGP:661 - 86 points. |
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