Review by: Raygun

No cask information provided, but it sure looks like a hogshead or maybe a barrel: ex-bourbon anyway. Second from a set of minis from TBWC that I came across, all 10-12 years. Figured it was a good way to get acquainted with the brand. First was a Macduff, which wasn’t bad at all. Picked this one out at random.

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Distillery: Blair Athol

Bottler: That Boutique-y Whisky Company

Region/style: Highland single malt Scotch

ABV: 48.9%

Age: 12 years

Cask type: Unknown but surely ex-bourbon

Color: 0.2 pale straw. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: About $6 for the mini

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Nose: Honeynut Cheerios, hay, apricots, and tangerines. Cereal forward again, but with some citrus this time. Also a bit of maple syrup.

Palate: Nose was promising, palate is less so. The cereal and maple syrup are there, but also some furniture polish and it just tastes young. Artificial sweetener. It’s a single malt, but reminds me of cheap blends with those chemical flavors.

Finish: Artificial sweetener continues. Has a similar unpleasant mossy sort of feeling on the tongue that I get from those, too. Oat cereal. Not much of the fruit from the nose, sadly. Very grainy and generically sweet, again like a young blend.

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Conclusion: My experience with Blair Athol is small, but it is becoming a distillery to avoid for me. There must be some good ones out there. This is not one of them. Tastes young, sweet, and artificial. Other than the nose, which was pretty nice, I don’t have a lot good to say about it. Just happy I found out with a mini.

Buy a bottle? No way.

Final Score: 55

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)