...where distraction is the main attraction.

Monday, February 13, 2023

Balmenach 11 year old Old Particular, cask DL12563 for K&L

After offering up some fairly organized distillery groupings, this blog's throwing you a trio of Oh Yeah That Distillery Exists reviews this week. It's all Speyside(-adjacent) stuff, and I really don't know what to expect. But the samples were getting lonely, and I'm hoping to find something fun hidden within the bottles.

First up, Balmenach!

Distillery: Balmenach
Ownership: Thai Beverages plc (via Inver House Distillers)
Independent Bottler: Douglas Laing
Range: Old Particular
Age: 11 years old (Sept 2006 - Aug 2018)
Maturation: Refill Hogshead
Cask#: DL 12563
Outturn: 284
Alcohol by Volume: 59.3%
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No
(from a bottle split)

Color: 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🚾, my fave!

NEAT

We're close to (very good) new make on the nose, farmy and almost smoky. Cherry lollies, raspberry jam, golden raisins, and a hint of shortbread. The palate is neither too hot nor too sweet. Yeah it has honey, cinnamon red hots, and red Twizzlers, but imagine those essences without so much sugar involved. It has a slight maltiness in the background, along with anise and salt. It finishes with a curious almost-dragonfruit note, along with tart limes and cinnamon red hots. A good length to it too.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Oh, the nose goes very fruity, like a juice made of mango, papaya, peach, and ginger. The palate gets more floral, while leaning more towards fruit than candy. No weird oak stuff! It finishes with a proper balance sweet and tart.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Is this what happens when you don't mess with Balmenach's spirit? Because this is my kind of baby whisky! I'd drink this neatly any time, but it can take a lot of water too. K&L slung this malt for the right price, four years ago. I missed out!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $44.99
Rating - 87