Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Blair Athol.

Bottler: Hunter Laing.

Region: Speyside.

Age: 12 Year. Distilled in 2009. Bottled in 2021.

Cask Number: HL180870.

Cask Type: Sherry.

ABV: 59.0%.

Color: 1.4, Tawny.

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Nose: This might be one of the more sulfured whiskies I’ve had. There’s sherry and tons of it along with the seemingly endless sulfur notes. After leaving it out overnight, the sulfur does greatly reduce to the point where it is all almost gone and the nose is fairly pleasant as it’s just a sherry bomb now.

Palate: It’s quite simple. There’s some malt, a hint of sherry, and a touch of chocolate. That’s it. Water does nothing to it.

Finish: Very, very short. Basically nothing lingers period.

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Conclusion: For all of my love of heavily sherried whiskies, I’ve either been incredibly lucky to not run across many that are heavily sulfured or just have a high tolerance for it. This Blair Athol at first really pushed those limits. The nose straight from the sample bottle might be one of the most sulfured whiskies I’ve had the displeasure of smelling and I couldn’t really get past it at first. After giving it a copious amount of resting time, it does dissipate but it just leaves behind maybe the most flavorless sherried whisky I’ve had. After lots of rest, it isn’t bad, but certainly very far from what I’d be looking for on the regular.

Final Score: 71.

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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.