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| Hello, that is one in all our (nearly) every day tastings. Santé! |
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April 23, 2024
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About Ten Blair Athol
Right here is one other Scottish distillery which presently has many bottlings at unbiased bottlers.
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Some Malt Maniacs on tour at Blair Athol in 2003 (WF Archive) |
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Some are wonderful; it is a far cry from the times of Arthur Bell and the time when, after being taken over by Guinness-UDV, Blair Athol 8 yo briefly joined the Basic Malts, alongside the opposite six (Lagavulin and the like). It’s true that the distillery may be very picturesque and strategically situated from a tourism perspective. A phrase of warning to freshmen: in Blair Athol, there is just one ‘L’, which has not stopped, nevertheless, just a few absent-minded independents from providing ‘Blair Atholl’. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got, with out adopting any kind of rating…
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Blair Athol 14 yo 2009/2023 (46%, Cadenhead, Unique Assortment, oloroso sherry end) 
Color: golden amber. Nostril: very good sherry on tobacco, walnuts and previous cash and instruments. Add some fried bananas and a few maple sirup, in addition to fairly some cherry liqueur. Feels very candy and PX-y for some oloroso. Mouth: sherry-led, and I imply sherry wine, not sherry cask. We love sherry however when you can’t not consider some superb previous sherry monsters of yesteryear that had been simply as ‘boosted’ as this, this feels a little bit an excessive amount of and premix-y. Now, the top end result stays nice, with PX, walnuts, raisins, nutmeg and a few millionaire shortbread. End: lengthy, extra on caramel, walnut wine and chocolate. Moderately quite a lot of chocolate. Feedback: in all probability a fairly moist cask, however I believe it fairly labored, I do not discover it too stuffy or cloying. BTWT I keep in mind the distillery had been having an outstanding sherry monster as a distillery-only bottling, fairly some moons in the past.
SGP:641 – 83 factors. |
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Blair Athol 10 yo ‘Bloody Sergeant’ (51.8%, Macbeth, Elixir Distillers, family sequence, 2,800 bottles, 2023)
I’ve utterly missed these as they had been popping out final yr. Warning, some crimson wine casks appear to have been concerned right here. I let you know, generally they only should not inform. Color: gold. It’s not pink. Nostril: certainly some pink gooseberries, some crimson currant and, above all the things, some morello cherries. Along with the malt, they show a fairly clafoutis-like profile. Are you aware clafoutis? With the cherry stones, naturally, they make the cake trickier to eat, however so significantly better. With water: geared a tad extra towards the malt. Mouth (neat): fairly blood oranges and toffee apple. Grenadine and extra redcurrant. Beaujolais, or not less than Gamay? With water: water works very properly, it mingles the flavours and lets extra spices and natural teas come out. End: fairly lengthy, a lot grassier. Stalks and stems? Slightly stout and chocolate within the aftertaste. Feedback: good enjoyable to comply with this child in your glass. An odd thought properly executed, I might say.
SGP:651 – 84 factors. |
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Since we’re as regards to crimson wine…
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Blair Athol 10 yo 2013/2023 (57.7%, Woman of the Glen, refill wine barrique, cask #310876, 307 bottles) 
Not a ending right here, it’s full maturation in a barrique, presumably Bordeaux. Color: pale apricot. Nostril: intriguingly dry, then with some muesli and recent wild carrots. Love wild carrots – any carrots for that matter. A number of macaroons, plus allspice, ras-el-hanout, a really tiny little bit of Parmesan cheese… It is truly all elegant and even barely discreet, however that could be the excessive power. With water: adios wine, hiya malt whisky! And a pleasant one, very ‘Midlander’, with melons, ripe apples, mirabelles and quince, candy beer, ripe gooseberries… Mouth (neat): surprisingly spicy and fruity on the identical time, you’ll imagine that is some Indian whisky. As soon as once more blood oranges and plenty of spices, particularly pepper. Touches of mushrooms, morels… With water: water doesn’t erase the wine on the palate, however malt and wine had ten years to get higher acquainted and begin a household (what?) Hints of bubblegum (the youngsters, ha). End: medium, fruity and a little bit tart, which is gorgeous. Leafier aftertaste. Feedback: as is usually the case, care should be taken when diluting a whisky that has been considerably influenced by wine; they will develop into astringent. I believe it’s best to restrict it to 2 or three drops, even when the whisky may be very robust.
SGP:551 – 85 factors. |
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Blair Athol 11 yo 2011/2022 (58.9%, Hunter Laing, The First Editions, wine cask, cask #HL19177)
It simply says wine cask whereas the color is not significantly pink, let’s examine if we discover crimson berries… Color: deep gold. Nostril: we’re fairly near the stunning 2013, nevertheless it’s fairly rounder, creamier, extra on chocolate and praline, some thicker brown beer, a small meaty aspect – we may have mentioned sherry butt, brown bread dough… With water: some earthiness, yeast, beer, lees, leaves, crude chocolate… Mouth (neat): actually wealthy, very a lot on oranges, winery peaches, mango chutney, garam masala, marmalade, chocolate, walnut liqueur – nocino… Plenty of motion on this wee teenager. With water: water works extraordinarily properly on the palate. The oranges are again, along with some gentle caramel, praline, and fairly milk chocolate this time. End: lengthy, with some demerara sugar and triple-sec. Select your model. Feedback: nearly as good as such a combo might be, in my view. They make these higher as of late, that is for certain.
SGP:551 – 86 factors. |
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I recall a number of interviews throughout which individuals would ask me whether or not I most well-liked whisky or wine. On the price issues are going, this query goes to develop into ridiculous, or not less than ineffective or irrelevant.
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Blair Athol 12 yo 2010/2022 (56.9%, Whisky Is The Restrict, second fill sherry hogshead, cask #301692, 387 bottles)
Color: wealthy amber. Nostril: the chocolate actually dominates this time, adopted by hazelnuts and toasted almonds, then Christmas fruit bread (we’re actually not on time), pumpernickel, dried apricots… It feels a bit extra like first fill than second fill, actually. With water: Williams pear involves the forefront, which is fairly promising. Additionally sloe. Mouth (neat): very robust, earthy, spicy, and meaty. It is nearly as in the event that they’ve added sport to the casks, maybe grouse (which weren’t precisely asking for it). Clove. With water: it is softer and rounded out once more. Figs, honey… End: fairly lengthy, with some notes of broth, leek, nuts, bone marrow dumplings… However the chocolate comes again within the aftertaste, together with the honey and oranges. Feedback: fairly very good. A really fantastic bottle, however guarantee you might have pipette.
SGP:651 – 86 factors. |
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Blair Athol 14 yo 2009/2023 (55.3%, Maltbarn, Seventies, sherry cask, 285 bottles) 
Ah these very good labels, they actually ought to make posters out of them and promote them, actually. In any case, these from this new superbly retro sequence. Color: darkish gold. Nostril: we’re within the realm of oranges and citrons, maple syrup, figs and honey, roasted peanuts… I believe we have reached a brand new degree, let’s examine this… With water: a little bit of burnt wooden, ash, mosses, mushrooms, chocolate, a contact of steel… It strongly reminds one in all an excellent amontillado. Mouth (neat): oh how good it’s. Excellent sherry, crisp and spirited, oranges and mandarins, honeys, orange blossom water… With water: sure, that is it. Orange blossom may be very outstanding. End: medium size, freshness and excellent steadiness. Feedback: may I’ve been influenced by this label that I like? Come on, in fact not. When a sherry cask has remained as recent as this, it will possibly solely work beautifully. For those who’ve run out of Blair Athol in your bar, you understand what to do…
SGP:651 – 90 factors. |
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Blair Athol 11 yo 2010/2021 ‘Previous Grasp Q’ (53.6%, Hong Kong Whisky, refill sherry butt, 309 bottles)
Previous Grasp Q is that little character from the very well-known eponymous sketch in Hong Kong. Apparently, he is fairly intelligent and fairly good with double entendres. We have already tasted a Tomintoul with him on the label, however I do not know if it’ll have been revealed by the point we publish this. You get the thought. Color: straw. It’s extremely a lot refill, very good. Nostril: ah sure, barley, vanilla, cereals, apricot syrup, guava juice… We’re actually not in sherry territory anymore. With water: and mandarins, madeleines, biscuits… Mouth (neat): it is excellent, it is clean, it is fruity, with a stable malted base, vanilla cream, orange liqueur… You may need mentioned bourbon, I would not have referred to as foul. With water: there, maybe sure, it is bought a extra earthy aspect, extra on nuts, a little bit of smoky tea… End: fairly lengthy, with extra ginger when water is added. In any other case, it stays extra citrusy and tight. Feedback: it is fairly protean, relying on how a lot water you have added. The standard is excessive, Grasp Q!
SGP:651 – 87 factors. |
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Maybe it is time we turned our consideration to some older Blair Athol, is not it?…
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Blair Athol 31 yo 1992/2023 (43.3%, The Maltman, bourbon barrel, cask #4783, 167 bottles) 
This one ticks completely all of the bins. I think about it is the pure power of the cask, so we must always profit from added complexity… but in addition from a little bit fragility, let’s verify that. Color: white wine (what’s extra!) Nostril: peach juice, crushed peach, Bellini (with champagne), hints of pine sap, Provence melon, wafts of rose petals and lychee, gewurztraminer, mandarins… Plenty of mandarins, actually. Mouth: it is excellent, very recent, loaded with citrus and honeys, natural teas, wooden spices, cinnamon (cinnamon rolls), with the completely charming aspect of valuable previous woods. End: a regal return of recent peaches. And champagne. In brief, Bellini – we’re in Venice, amongst tons of of hundreds of different vacationers who come on these monstrous and dreadful big cruise ships. Oops, let’s transfer on, Venice doesn’t belong to us… Feedback: there was no have to concern any extreme fragility. The fruitiness was simply excellent, the champagne as properly.
SGP:651 – 89 factors. |
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Blair Athol 30 yo 1993/2023 (54.4%, Douglas Laing, seventy fifth Anniversary, Xtra Previous Specific, sherry butt, cask #DL17911, 399 bottles)
Presumably the final time we’ve got the chance to say ‘blissful seventy fifth birthday, Douglas Laing, you certain all look a lot, a lot youthful than that!’ Color: amber. Nostril: It is all about jams, dried figs, dates, raisins of every kind and from all origins, candy wines (Rivesaltes, Banyuls, rancios, Malaga), then comes menthol tobacco, vetiver, liquorice, dried apricots… What’s spectacular is that there is completely no fragility, even when the Chinese language sauces, equivalent to hoisin, or the crimson one for dim sum, and many others., come into play. With water: a lot rounder, way more on dried fruits and a few barely rustic cognac (good woods). Mouth (neat): it is a magnificent cask, highly effective, fairly peppery, liquorice-flavoured, marked by black propolis and pepper, with all of the dried fruits proper behind, in addition to, in fact, previous walnuts. We don’t communicate of individuals right here. With water: this time, water will increase the complexity, releasing loads of little herbs and roughly wild berries. Significantly sloe withered by frost. End: lengthy, a bit wilder, raspy, on fruit skins. A little bit of caramel, burnt sugar, autumn leaves… Feedback: the marginally much less thrilling end prices it some extent or two, however everybody ought to royally not give a darn. There, it is mentioned.
SGP:562 – 89 factors. |
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And since we’re celebrating anniversaries, this little final one…
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Blair Athol 35 yo 1988/2023 (55.9%, Signatory Classic, thirty fifth Anniversary, oloroso sherry butt, cask #6847, 450 bottles)
It is price noting, the Blair Athol thirtieth Anniversary version by Signatory was already a 1988 (WF 91). Additionally noteworthy, the house owners of Signatory may completely stroll to Blair Athol to decide on casks, chat or share just a few drams. Proper, solely the stroll again may then be more difficult. Color: tawny. However we do not care about that. Nostril: what to say about these rooster and beef broths, these leeks and asparagus, these numerous raisins, these very previous Jamaican rums and armagnacs from the primary half of the final century, and all this metanoïcal facet that transcends geography? And, above all, these figs? Perhaps it is already time to name the Anti-Maltoporn Brigade. With water: it shifts to malt extract, soy sauce, inexperienced walnut, Worcester, lovage, but in addition dates and prunes. The steadiness isn’t damaged. Mouth (neat): sure, in fact, an ideal sherry, highly effective however balanced, half coffees, half goodies and half dried fruits (overlook maths!) With water: there you go, sure, a simply excellent, fairly peppery sherry. Let’s depart it there, in the event you do not thoughts. End: lengthy, chocolatey, with a touch of smoke, cigar, ristretto. Feedback: I imagine this was the final thirty fifth Anniversary Signatory Classic we had but to style. So, for the final time, blissful anniversary, Signatory! The world of ‘sharper’ whisky would not be the identical with out you.
SGP:661 – 92 factors. |
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