The newest member of Balblair's standard range, the 21 year old has more specific specs than rest of the expressions, with 15 years in bourbon casks and six more in first fill sherry butts. While I wouldn't mind a 21yo Balblair with full maturation in the those bourbon casks, I appreciate that the commitment to a full secondary maturation. The 18yo was great, how will this compare???
.jpeg)
Distillery: Balblair
Ownership: Inver House (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)
Region: Northern Highlands
Age: minimum 21 years old
Maturation: 15 years in bourbon casks (American oak), then six years in first-fill butts (Spanish oak)
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? No
e150a? No
(thank you, Doctors Springbank!)
NOTES
There be tropical fruits here. Guava, passionfruit, and banana in the nose's fore, followed by cherry lollipops and marzipan. Quirkier notes of cumin and cologne adorn the background. The palate is surprisingly (and positively) short on sweetness. Tart citrons mix with salt, pepper, and walnuts, with semisweet chocolate in the back. It gains oranges with time. It finishes with light tannin, oranges, limes, and a hint of the nose's cologne.
WORDS WORDS WORDS
If you bottle a 20+ year old Balblair and it isn't at least delicious, then you need to sit in the corner with a timeout. That goes triple for the distillery itself. I'm happy to say that Inver House Distillers is officially allowed to keep bottling Balblair. Again, the nose wins, but the moderate, lean palate is quite good. Had it possessed the nose's tropical fruits, then this would have been one hell of a whisky. Shame about the price, almost 2.5x that of the 18.
Availability - Europe
Pricing - $270 - $340 w/o tax
Rating - 85
