Review by: dustbunna
This is the first of three Balblair single casks I picked up over the past couple of years. All three happened to be 2006 vintage and bottled in 2019 at 13 years of age. I have a real soft spot for this Highland, especially the old vintage-stated style, and these single casks were bought out of a desire to pick up some higher-strength options (which are relatively hard to come by in the US.) This one is cask #445, which was a private ex-bourbon cask bottled for Gordon’s Fine Wines in the Boston area.
Distillery: Balblair.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Highlands.
ABV: 54.6%. Cask strength.
Age: 13 years. Distilled in 2006. Bottled in 2019.
Cask type: First-fill ex-bourbon barrel.
Price: $85 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 10 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: cantaloupe, pineapple, sawdust, lots of honey, lemon pound cake, water brings out wet grass and orange candy, water and time open it further with earthy roots, roasted nuts, peach candy, the balance changes to favor the sweeter fruit notes.
Palate: medium body ~ white pepper, white fruits, some floral notes in the background, vanilla, water pulls the oak and some malt-funkiness forward, with water floral notes expand, honeysuckle, cut stems, fresh cream, further expansion of these notes without water as fill level drops.
Finish: medium length ~ some ethanol bite at first, oak spice, orange/vanilla creamsicles, icing sugar, honey, cinnamon, water opens up mint, wet rocks, gardenia and magnolia blossoms, more hints of mint and wintergreen in the background.
Conclusion: This is yet another Balblair that ran hot for me right out of the gate, which I suppose isn’t surprising given it’s the first cask-strength one I’ve tried— but even at 46% the bottles I’ve owned have been quite tight at the neck pour. This one started out strong on the sawdust and white pepper notes, and the fruit, honey and flowers were hidden in the nooks and crannies— but given my past experiences both with Balblair and with ex-bourbon casks over time, I didn’t judge it right away. I let this one chill for a month or two at first, and after that, in the first half of the bottle in general, around ~12 drops of water made a huge difference. Balblair seems to do exceptionally well with ample rest, and the best part of this bottle was certainly the second half, where the changes foreshadowed by adding water came forward in the neat liquid.
I’m not thinking I would buy this exact bottle again, but I’d certainly go for another one with similar stats. I’d also move faster to open it up and expose it to air: the difference between the first half and the second half was significant enough that I am considering splitting up my other current ex-bourbon Balblair single cask (which was also for Gordon’s, and exhibits the same tightness at the neck), and putting half of it into this empty bottle, to see if it’s air time or just patience that works the magic on this spirit.
Final Score: 84.
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 