Review by: The Muskox
I tried this when I was drunk off my ass.
Oddly enough, Balblair was one of the first single malts that I really connected with as a novice whisky drinker. The old Balblair 2005 was a pretty spirit-forward bottling, and was my introduction to all those delectable earthy and grassy notes that turn up without a smothering cask getting in the way. The distillery has since rebranded to a slightly less-dated but overall uglier and more forgettable design (in my opinion, anyway). This is my first experience with one of the new ones.
Distillery: Balblair.
Bottler: Official bottling.
Region: Highlands.
ABV: 46%.
Age: 15 years.
Cask type: Initially matured in ex-bourbon casks, then finished in first-fill Spanish oak sherry butts.
Price: $120 CAD.
Color: Shockingly dark, probably around a 1.6. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Dark and sweet sherry. Prunes, raisins, and dried apples, leather and chocolate cake. Spicy and slightly floral, almost a potpourri kind of note.
Palate: Light texture. Arrives sweet with raisins, dried raspberries, and rich allspice and cinnamon. Develops to charred oak, some leather and earth. A little hay here. A drop of water brings some orange peel.
Finish: Fairly short. Almonds, leather, raisins, orange bitters, and liqueur chocolates.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Peering at someone else’s Christmas fruitcake through a frosty window”
Conclusion: Fine, but very forgettable. The light texture really isn’t doing the big sherry casks any favours. I definitely prefer my Balblair in bourbon casks.
Final Score: 75.
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 
