Review by: zSolaris
Distillery: Blended Malt, tea-spooned Balvenie.
Bottler: Hunter Laing.
Region: Blended Malt, Speyside.
Age: 28 Year. Distilled in 1991, Bottled in 2020.
ABV: 43.0%.
Cask Type: Refill Hogshead.
Price: Sample courtesy of /u/I_SAID_NO_GOLDFISH.
Color: 0.2, Pale Straw.
Nose: It’s quite funky and a tad fruity. It smells a bit like medicine, specifically Salonpas pain relief patches. There is some citrus that comes through as well with a hint of sugary malt.
Palate: Its a mixed bag of candies. Milk chocolate is the main note. Lemon and orange jolly ranchers and a bit of cotton candy come through as well. A touch of hay wraps things up.
Finish: Medium to short in length. Vanilla, milk chocolate, and a bit of malt are the notes that stood out.
Conclusion: My experiences with Balvenie, which is largely limited to the official bottlings, have been that none of it ever seems to really knock it out of the park. Be it well aged or fairly youthful, all of it seems to come in fairly similar. This tea-spooned bottling doesn’t do much to change that impression. The nose is weird with a medicinal funk throughout. The palate and finish are a nice mix of candies, but none of it quite delivers the wow factor. Would I buy a bottle? Unlikely.
Final Score: 81.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 
