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Balblair 40 yo
Single Malts of Scotland
Highland Single Malt Whisky
47.7% abv
£120*
Struggling my way through the malt mission at this point, but it is something I still very much look forward to; just been busy and living at no fixed address as we await an opportunity to work in NYC. Fun, fun, fun.
Another of the Anniversary series from Sukhinder Singh and The Whisky Exchange crew (Single Malts of Scotland, etc.), this is an old beauty from the era just before Canadian firm Hiram Walker owned the distillery, when Balblair was in the hands of Keith lawyer Robert Cumming. History in a glass, as whisky always is. How does one put a price on that? Ask Sukhinder; everyone else does!
To see other stuff from The Whisky Exchnage had on the mission click HERE. For more information on Balblair or to see other expressions had on the mission click HERE.
* - if you can find it... and you probably can't.
TASTING NOTES:
Old and oaky with a stale sweetness like a box of chocolates from last Christmas. Vintage clothing shop, musty with more oaky sweetness like jars of cherries. Bananas, strawberry yoghurt, sweetening with time.
Brighter than nose indicated, and while not as complicated, the flavours are beautifully balanced and well-integrated. Rounds off wonderfully with integrated orange and cinnamon tones. Cloves, cocoa, some laundry detergent not in flavour but in freshness, tightens up in mouth with cherries and orange but ends silky and with no single element screaming above the other components.
SUMMARY:
Was lucky enough to try this on a few occasions in a varied moods and can say that it always went down a treat. Aromas and flavours roll out of the glass and around your mouth. Elements of this remind me of the 15ml of heaven (Balblair 38yo) I managed to get a few sips of. Miraculously, the fruit beats the oak with plenty of roasted notes (butter tarts, pecan pie, cocoa, coffee beans). A lovely ride of a dram to be sipped one spray at a time.
Malt Mission #276
Malt Mission #277
Malt Mission #278
Malt Mission #279
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Balblair 1989Highland Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£39
After 125 morning malts there can be little doubt that I love whisky. But when I hear the name Balblair I still feel the hair the back of my arms stand up, starting a wave from my elbows to my shoulders (yes, I have hair on my shoulders). A few years ago when I tasted the Balblair 38 a real problem began. Well it had already started, really, but this just accelerated it. It could not have been more than 15ml in my glass, but the impact was enormous.
I had been an ageist with regards to whisky in that I didn't hold older whiskies in higher esteem by default. Hallmark or Islay Mist 8, Aberlour or Glenmorangie 10 were enough for me. And my budget. Sure I found ways to try much more, but if I was going to take it home, it had to be below a certain price point. But Balblair 38, the concept that absolute spirit(ual) ecstasy was available by the dram, broke that budget and convinced me that money spent could be pleasure earned. The next bottle I bought was £30 and I felt like a big spender. And re-reading that paragraph, I sound like a whisky junkie.
Forgetting age, InverHouse Distillers has abandoned age statements for vintages. While most of the literature surrounding their launch makes claims about opportunistic investment while Balblair is held in high regard by connoisseurs, the market opportunities on the premium end of the category and of capitalising on the emerging markets in Asia and Russia (to paraphrase Inver House marketing manager Karen Walker), there is a slightly more romantic justification that is more 'maturation warehouse' than 'management boardroom'. The vintage concept offers a totally different approach to cask selection: rather than having a goal of consistency from one batch of 10 or 16yo to the next, and therefore having to be sure to fill the appropriate number of X and Y casks every year to satisfy that objective in years to come, unusual expressions from varied casks of different vintages can be selected and vatted to create exciting and unique expressions of the diversity of this category 'A' blending malt.
Stuart Harvey sampled 1062 casks (jealous?) in his search for the best casks for the vintages range, settled on 1997, 1989, and 1979 (all from American ex-bourbon casks) and expects future releases of Spanish oak vattings and more bourbon barrels of different vintages. This is a big investment for Inver House in terms of research, marketing, and new packaging, but we are all looking forward to each new release, glasses in hand.
Thanks to Whisky Magazine Issue 63(May/June '07) for some of the above information and to The Whisky Exchange for the taster.
TASTING NOTES:
Very fragrant, tangerines, sweet canned peaches. Succulent oak influences exposing great depth of aromas. Bourbon creams. Subtle and laid back and worth becoming so yourself as this whisky really develops in the glass with emerging rum and raisin creaminess, a mineral saltiness, and exotic fruits.
Soft and sexy in the mouth, perfumy and floral that explodes in a different direction upon swallowing. Gets smoky and toasty, slightly charred. Plastic bags. Walnuts and chocolate chips. Finish is a slow fade of a grassy freshness on top of perfume and coca-cola Hubba Bubba, all smothered in oaky dryness.
SUMMARY:
Delicious.
While I really enjoy the whisky, and love the bottle (cool shape, great big cork, great design on back, etc.), the box drives me nuts. Yes, the pictures by Finn McRae are really lovely, but the box is just too big, too square, too wasteful. They must annoy retailers! These are the new core range and will not sit on shelves very long. The bottles will be consumed and the boxes tossed. Do we really need these big, multi-material bottle coffins for standard bottlings?
Malt Mission #121
Malt Mission #122
Malt Mission #123
Malt Mission #124
Malt Mission HOME
Balblair 10yo
Highland Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£22
Located just north of Glenmorangie (tasted Tuesday), Balblair is one of the oldest distilleries still in operation(1790), younger only than Strathisla(1786), Bowmore(1779), and Glenturret(1775).
An interesting stretch in the distillery's history not mentioned in my last Balblair post(Malt Mission 68) is 1909-1949. Asquith's proposed "people's budget" brought many great changes to social welfare but brought hard times to many industries, including whisky distilling. Owner Alexander Cowan lost the distillery and slowly stocks of Balblair were sold off. There are rumours that there may be (or once was?) some of Balblair from this era in Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Doesn't really make sense to me personally, but whatever (anyone buying up the stocks would have wanted to turn a profit immediately rather than wait 70years to invent a product in which to put the whisky). Through the Great War, the army took over the distillery. The distillery was saved from potential destruction after 36 years of uncertainty by Robert Cumming and production resumed in 1949. Balblair then became, and remains, a big part of Ballantine's aged blended whiskies.
Balblair has discontinued these aged statement releases and replaced them with a series of vintages, 1997, 1989(to be tasted tomorrow), and 1979. All Balblairs tasted in the mission can be found HERE
TASTING NOTES:
Soft and appetising. Breakfast cereals, sweet tropical fruits, coastal impressions with some salt and beachy earthiness.
Honey and nuts, Rolos, butter and some toastiness, all in a gentle/soft but weighty(flavourwise) impact. Salt in the middle. Drying with flavours of American oak and sucking on peach or apricot pits.
SUMMARY:
Great whisky, good balance of flavours, with general sweetness (grains, oak, fruits) dominating. Perfect for people who think they might not like whisky cuz all they've ever had are Bell's and Laproaig they stole from their father's liquor cabinet when they were 14. Highly drinkable. Great value, if you can still find a bottle.
Malt Mission #121
Malt Mission #122
Malt Mission #123
Malt Mission #125
Malt Mission HOME
Balblair 16 yo
Highland Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£25*
$55(USD)*
Balblair is the fourth oldest distillery still in operation (after Glenturret, Bowmore, and Strathisla) and was built by John Ross in 1790. The present buildings are quite adorable and date from the 1870s. Hiram Walker bought the distillery in 1970 and it became a key malt in Ballantine's blends.
After surviving years in the 1990's under threat of mothballing, Inver House Distillers added Balblair to their interesting stable of distilleries in 1996. Since 2000 they have released a great line-up of standard bottlings as well as a few stellar premium examples (the 38yr old being one of the greatest whiskies I have ever had the pleasure of drinking).
This is a bottling that has been discontinued to be replaced by a series of vintages you may have already seen at your favourite retailer or in Whisky Magazine this month. Let's taste this disappearing beauty.
TASTING NOTES:
Sweaty, salty, and summery; beach volleyball. Honey and hazelnuts, wine and walnuts, apple and almonds; Haroseth(or Charoset). Floral. Raisins. Bubblegum. A subtle, slightly sour, organic or earthy peatiness. Complex but approachable. "Friendly and familiar" - My Mom
Very deep. Scoops of vanilla yoghurt, maybe ice cream, and raisins. Cocoa. Whispers of fresh citrus, lemongrass, galangal; lots from the oak, sherry, cedar. Toffee pudding. Almost overwhelming in density of flavour. Develops beautifully in the glass.
SUMMARY:
A whisky that is very ALIVE. So exciting and was great value (I used it in one of my pre-Malt Mission posts), it is sad to lose it. Great outdoors sunset dram to sit in silence with loved ones and slowly milk each serving. "I would love to drink that outdoors. Romantic. Not for medicinal purposes."- My Mom.
* - Prices are old list prices. Sadly, the product has been discontinued and, when found, this bottle will likely sell for more than this price.
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