Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and
skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland

Four Balblair 

One of the names that always seems to gather praise and goodwill here at Whiskyfun. Thanks in large part to some persistently characterful and charming distillate, many great bottlings over the years, an extremely bonnie distillery and, most importantly, lovely people that always make you feel very welcome whenever you visit. It may not be the most exciting or most cult name in whisky, but it’s rather impossible to come up with too many quibbles about Balblair. 

Balblair 7 yo ‘Batch 1’ (49.9%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, bottled 2019, 1305 bottles)
Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: pure barley eau de vie, as we often say on these pages. Also, unarguably close to new make, but Balblair is such a charming and pretty distillate that it holds up. Lots of lemon barley water, cut grass, gooseberry, soda bread and putty. Summer whisky! Mouth: definitely rather new-makey, and perhaps less convincing than on the nose here, really getting grassy, austerely spiritous and in the direction of underripe cider apple and petrol. Finish: medium, sharp, very citric, grassy and almost with acidity. Comments: a whisky that’s really more for mixing into a highball perhaps, but it reveals Balblair’s undercarriage rather nicely. 
SGP: 441 - 80 points. 

Balblair 2005/2021 (48.5%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, cask #213, 180 bottles)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: very classical modern Balblair, all on green and orchard fruits, with some lemon curd, IPA, a few white flowers and also a nicely honeyed note that makes me think of mead. With time it really begins to focus on baked apples and custard. Mouth: a little drier, rawer and more peppery than expected, but otherwise everything is in its place. Same green fruits, some dried banana, some muesli, grapefruit and gooseberry. A whisky that’s rather full of things that make you think of breakfast. Also cereal notes - ha, the power of suggestion. Finish: medium, peppery and slightly sappy with some pithy citrus notes and bergamot. Comments: what I’m curious to know is did they reduce this to 48.5%? Or is that cask strength? I prefer the nose, but overall it’s a very honest, easy and fruity Balblair. 
SGP: 551 - 86 points. 

Balblair 23 yo 1998/2021 (50.5%, Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseur’s Choice’, cask #1075, 1st fill barrel, 170 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: mead, guava, dried mango and olive oil mixed with honey. Very direct, immediate and highly pleasurable, if somewhat compact in its profile. Continues with a little gorse flower and some subtle waxy notes. With water: really focussed on various honeys, especially of the flower and heather varieties. More mead, waxes and impressions of white balsamic and mint tea. Mouth: excellent arrival, waxes and shoe polish up front, with many such things as old leather, camphor, tinned peaches, dried flowers and crystallised exotic fruits. Also cedar, coconut shavings, unlit cigars and dried tarragon. Definitely showing more complexity on the nose, but still retaining this core mature fruity character. With water: fir sap, spun brown sugar, herbal bitters and wee notes of cough medicines and further impressions of boot polish and waxes. Finish: good length, full of dried pollens and crystallised old honeys, plus some aged sweet Riesling for good measure. Comments: you could be forgiven for thinking it’s both older than its stated age and distilled in a previous decade. Love this very focussed, rather mature style that remains largely about honey and dried fruits. A few notches more complexity would have propelled it past the 90 mark, but I’m being extremely stingy really, it’s an excellent dram. 
SGP: 651 - 89 points. 

Balblair 27 yo 1993 (60.2%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society #70.42 ‘Elegant, Dark and Stormy’, refill bourbon barrel, 180 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: crisp but also greenly fruity with chlorophyll, gooseberry and sharp green apple. A little broader and more powerful in profile than the 98 at first I would say. Beneath that there’s wee hints of custard made with sauternes, lime, lemon curd and vanilla shortbread. The fruit notes keep coming, which I find extremely ‘Balblair’. With water: lemon powder and freshly baked pastries! Indeed, it becomes generally more citrus-driven and waxy with some nice wee coastal inflections in the background. Mouth: superbly syrupy in texture up front, more pure dessert wine and honey impressions, then sweet cereals, tropical fruity IPA beers, heather honey and camphor. Big, fruity East Highland malt whisky! With water: wonderful texture now! Full of honey, sweet wines, camphor, olive oil, muesli and caramelised oatmeal. Still retaining this very generous, very ‘Balblair’ green and yellow fruitiness. Finish: good length, some mineral oil, some sandalwood, lightly sappy green fruitiness, hessian and lanolin. Comments: a great cask where the wood is light enough that the Balblair fruitiness has really been concentrated over the years and the power behind it really makes it kick! Terrific fun, top quality and great selection. 
SGP: 652 - 90 points.