A few indie Blair Athol and various wines


April 29, 2026

A few indie Blair Athol and various wines

Blair Athol is quite versatile; there are all sorts of expressions, and the distillate readily takes to being pushed around a bit by the cask. At least, that’s what it seems to me… So we’ll try to sort these babies by theoretically increasing vinosity, without tasting them beforehand, so of course we might get it wrong. Who said, as so often—who indeed?

An old official “black label” Blair Athol from the 1970s. Not every batch was entirely stellar, but some 8-year-olds easily reach WF 92.

Blair Athol 14 yo 2009/2024 (55.3%, James Eadie, re-charred hogshead, cask #307364, 307 bottles)

Right, we shall say that a re-charred hogshead is about as close as it gets to a hogshead, shall we? Colour: gold. Nose: we do find the fresh essences of wood at first, then bergamot comes into play, green oranges, vanilla and a very slight ginger. Let us say somewhere between turmeric and ginger. With water: it folds back a little onto vanilla and banana. A banana split in your glass. Mouth (neat): same scenario as on the nose, light fresh woodiness, then citrus and ginger, rowanberry eau-de-vie and kirsch, then not quite ripe banana. You will tell me that it is better that way in this context. With water: this time it is the citrus liqueurs that take control, with a duo of pepper and ginger present yet more discreet than one might have expected. Finish: only the aftertaste brings the refreshed wood back more clearly, a little more drying. Comments: no denying it, they do know what they are doing.
SGP:651 - 85 points.

Right then, we’ve still got amontillado, PX, madeira and refill oloroso in stock. And of course…

Blair Athol 12 yo 2011/2024 (53.9%, James Eadie, for the UK, Cask Finish, refill oloroso hogshead, cask #369682, 244 bottles)

Blair Athol 12 yo 2011/2024 (53.9%, James Eadie, for the UK, Cask Finish, refill oloroso hogshead, cask #369682, 244 bottles)
A 17-month finishing. Colour: full gold. Nose: small touches of rosewood and even incense at first, then new jumper, fresh paint, and finally those famous walnuts we had been expecting. With water: a little sawdust, hay and peanut butter. Mouth (neat): fine combination, walnut cake iced with kirsch, bitter almonds, green pepper. With water: it rounds off and softens, we think of that marzipan coated in dark chocolate that our Austrian friends make while listening to The Magic Flute. You know, Mozartkugeln. Finish: fairly long, with the arrival of a little fresh barley and even Pils beer. Slightly hoppy. Comments: very good, that said the previous one was a little fresher and even almost refreshing.
SGP:551 - 84 points.

Since we’re in sherry territory…

Blair Athol 11 yo 2014/2026 (54.7%, Lady of the Glen, amontillado finish, cask # #303402, 214 bottles)

All very smart and brand new… Colour: deep gold. Nose: we do find a little touch of fresh sawdust, not bothersome in the slightest, then an amusing combination of freshly cut grass and freshly grated coconut. Some blond tobacco as well, yet for now we are not finding a truly assertive amontillado. Should we complain? With water: no, it shifts towards green tea, certainly of good quality, but green tea all the same. Perhaps those very subtle touches of walnut skin come from the amontillado? Mouth (neat): it is a pure cocktail of exotic fruits, guava, avocado and coconut milk for instance. And banana from the wood. The amontillado remains discreet, where is it hiding? With water: it is the cask that keeps the upper hand, and it was a fine cask. The sherry itself, meanwhile, stays as discreet as a flamenco dancer heading home after a show in a cabaret packed to the rafters with Russian tourists. Finish: long, returning to that famous exotic cocktail. Comments: if you find the amontillado strong and clear, do send me the information via Truth Social if you please. Other than that, it is really very good. Oh and we adore our own Russian friends.
SGP:641 - 84 points.

Alright then, the PX…

Blair Athol 14 yo 2010/2025 (55.6%, Berry Bros. for Kirsch Import, Awakening Series, PX finish, cask #303337, 269 bottles)

Colour: golden amber. Nose: it starts on rose, lychee and even gewurztraminer, yet let us never forget that Pedro is a grape variety and not a wine style, and that it can be expressed in many different styles, much like palomino. In short, it is really very lovely, then it moves towards incense and jasmine, before finally landing on pecan pie drizzled with honey and apricot liqueur. Or something along those lines. With water: touches of freshly sawn wood, but also pistachio cream in a rather Sicilian style. Mouth (neat): apricot now dominates proceedings. Incredible. With water: candied mandarins. Finish: well then, mandarins and apricots for quite a long while. Comments: I do not know how they did it, and frankly I would rather not know, but this well-seasoned little BA is truly excellent.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

Blair Athol 11 yo 2013/2024 (55.4%, Watashi Whisky, Okane, 2nd fill Madeira, cask #311957C, 60 bottles)

There were admittedly only a few bottles, yet as there seems to be Mount Fuji on the label, it must surely be worth it. A change from the gentle hills around Pitlochry, is it not. Colour: gold. Nose: it is not the same wine, yet on the nose it is very close to the previous one. But do be careful, if you speak of Madeira to someone from Jerez or of Jerez to someone from Madeira, you may wish to take a few karate lessons beforehand. Personal experience! In short, we do find apricot, mirabelle plum, rhubarb cooked with honey, Earl Grey tea… With water: a very slight mustardy touch, typically Madeiran. At WF Towers, we do rather love that. Mouth (neat): excellent, zesty, jammy yet lively, one might say there is some young sercial in there. With water: impressively coherent and, above all, entirely Madeira-driven. We may forget Pitlochry in this case. Finish: long, more peppery, with small tart apples and green walnut. Comments: the term ‘winesky’ is generally pejorative around here, yet in this precise case, it is almost a compliment.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Right then, one last one, we couldn’t possibly stop without having a bit of red wine…

Blair Athol 10 yo (51.8%, Elixir Distillers, Macbeth, Act One, Household Series, Bloody Sergeant, bourbon and red wine, 2,800 bottles, 2023)

I do rather enjoy the cognitive myopia that affects distillers and bottlers the world over whenever they draw upon references from their national cultural heritage. It is always charming, even rather touching, in any case let us see what this ‘Bloody Sergeant’ with red wine is all about. Do not tell me it was English red wine? Colour: gold with the faintest reddish hues. Nose: but this is rather lovely, all that peach skin, the returning apricot, damson, honeysuckle, orange blossom… It is in any case the most floral of them all. With water: increasingly floral, acacia flowers, rapeseed, nectars, and even a drop of wild raspberry liqueur, Alsatian of course (cognitive myopia, act 2). One could hardly object to that. Mouth (neat): we find peach again, mirabelle plum, and even apricot, even in liqueur form. Morello cherries. With water: it keeps that admittedly simple yet rather irresistible fruitiness, and the whole even leads towards barley and ‘Kriek’ beer… Finish: of medium length but with an almost sugary fruitiness that is quite relentless (relentless, S?). Table grapes, muscat… Comments: this baby has ended up with an almost liqueur-like side.
SGP:641 - 84 points.

Oh, and since we probably won’t be tasting any more Blair Athol before the summer, and as we wanted something pure ex-bourbon and a bit closer to the distillery…

Blair Athol 10 yo 2014/2024 (56.6%, Lady of the Glen, 1st fill bourbon, cask #302915, 220 bottles)

Colour: chardonnay from the American hemisphere. You see, we do adapt. Nose: here at last is pure barley, bread and fresh cakes, vanilla and banana loaf, a cup of English breakfast tea, a small glass of mandarin juice, an apple tart… Nothing to fault here. With water: we add a little ground cinnamon onto the apple tart. It is the cask speaking and it is quite entitled to do so. Mouth (neat): very slight soapy touches at first, then it lifts off towards apple juice and rhubarb jam (a killer). With water: gentle honeys come rushing in, although that very, very slight soapy side returns at the same time. Fig jam and a tisane of cherry stalks. Finish: a pleasing finish on mirabelle plums and a touch of rubber. Comments: a few fragilities but, as a result, it makes for a Blair Athol in the official style, yet very slightly less, shall we say, perhaps, a tad boring.
SGP:551 - 83 points.

We’re still a fair way off those utterly sublime official 8-year-olds or NAS bottlings from the 1960s–70s (the black labels), but at least the thread hasn’t been broken.

Check the index of all Blair Athol we've tasted