The fate of one bottle: Ardlair 6 year old 2011 Signatory, cask 900027

Despite all the grousing I've done about ultra young whiskies and massive ABVs, I went ahead and bought a bottle of 63.3%abv 6 year old Ardlair. Because Ardmore. Specifically unpeated Ardmore.

What does a grump like me do with a whisky I'd never buy were it not for its name? After trying a couple of glasses of Ardlair at full strength, I decided I'd proof it down to different levels to see where its prime drinking point lay.

My preferred ABV range for most whiskies is 45-50%, so I aimed for 46% and 50%. I also wanted to see what happened at 40% and 43%. Because matters weren't that simple and I wasn't confident in trying to play with liquid volumes smaller than 1mL, I wound up with these ABVs: 38%, 42.2%, 46.4% and 50.6%. Then I let them sit for about 72 hours.

At the end of those three days, I poured each 15mL amount into its own mini Glencairn, then brought a fifth half-ounce to the game, at full strength.

Distillery: Ardmore

Malt: Ardlair
Ownership: Beam Suntory
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Independent Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Age: 6 years (27 Jan 2011 - 5 Sept 2017)
Maturation: Refill Butt

Cask#: 900027

Bottle: 260 of 646

Exclusive to: The Winebow Group
Alcohol by Volume: 63.3%

DILUTED TO 38%abv

The nose is plenty potent even at this level of dilution. Manischewitz (Concord Grape) with cracked black pepper and raw almonds show up first. Apple cider and cookie dough appear later.

The palate is quite sweet with all of its grape candy. A little bit of black pepper and salt linger in the background. It starts to get bitter after 30 minutes, and pencil shavings show up.

There are grape candies, pencil shavings and woody bitterness in the finish.

As per my notes, the whisky is ultra grapey here, but it's an almost artificial grapiness. It's all very curious until a much too familiar woodiness appears, leaving me unmotivated to ever lower it to this level again.

Rating range: C- (70-73)

---

DILUTED TO 42.2%abv

Though the nose does show grape juice and grape Jolly Rancher notes, they take a back seat to mixed nuts, wet sand and brine.

The palate is less sweet and less grapey than the 38%abv version. There are more grasses, lemons and salt now.

It finishes peppery and salty, almost smoky at times, with a much calmer sweetness.

I would happily drink the whisky at this strength. It reads ultra young, of course, but the wood and sherry are much more reserved. A pleasant surprise!

Rating range: B-/B (81-84)

---

DILUTED TO 46.4%abv

Malt enters the picture, trying valiantly (though ultimately failing) to stand up to the grapes in the nose. BBQ pulled pork, whole wheat toast and canned albacore (yes, really) develop later on.

The palate picks up some fight, but in the form of ethanol. It's very dry. Maybe a little bit of wort in there. It gains sugar and pepper with time.

It has a longer finish than the previous two, but it reads as neutral spirit flavored with grape juice and pepper.

This resulted in a different sort of surprise. The nose held promise, but the palate went an odd direction, one that was interesting in theory but not pleasing to consume.

Rating range: C/C+ (76-79) maybe?

---

DILUTED T0 50.6%abv

The nose mellows out at this strength. The meat and fish notes move to the background, while dry sherry and very dry red wine notes show up in the front. The grape candy returns at the 45 minute mark.

The palate is dry, nutty, tangy and grainy. But the neutral spirit note is still there.

Here it finishes like serrano pepper-infused neutral spirit.

This ethanol / neutral spirit thing is very strange. I've never tinkered with such a young whisky before. Does diluting baby spirits always reveal their poisonous hearts?

Rating range: C/C+ (76-79) maybe?

---

FULL STRENGTH - 63.3%abv

Ahh, NO GRAPE THINGS in the nose. Okay, perhaps some golden raisins. But the fruits mostly show up as dried currants, dried blueberries and apple cider. A little bit of salty pork sits in the background.

And no neutral spirit in the palate. If it reads like any unaged spirits, I'd go with eau de vie. But it's mildly sweet, a little grassy and lemony. Hints of toasted oak spices. Very drinkable considering the strength.

It finishes with lemons, chile oil and golden raisins. Some heat, some sweet.

Much closer to whisky now, and less of a jumbled weirdo. The sherry butt was more aggressive in the nose than the palate, which I greatly appreciate.

---

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This experience turned out stranger than I'd expected. Tuna, Manischewitz and neutral spirit...and at diluted levels? I wonder if similar oddities occur when playing with other barely legal rocket fuel single malts.

Drinking 63.3%abv spirits isn't a particularly pleasing experience for me, so I was hoping for some better results from the diluted pours, but was disappointed in 3/4 of the results. 82 is a damned good score for 6 year old whisky here on this blog, but I'm rarely motivated to sip a B- whisky, even if it is from Ardmore Distillery. Careful reductions to the 42-43%abv range may be the fate of this bottle's contents.

Availability - Chicago
Pricing - $55

Rating - 82

Balblair 21 year old Gordon & MacPhail (bottled 2017)

Between 2015 and 2017, Gordon & MacPhail bottled batches of 21 year old Balblair from their prodigious warehouses. I'm thankful they didn't water the whisky down to 40%abv, but it would have been nice if G&M had offered it up in a 46%abv/nc/ncf version once the big indie brand rebooted. Instead they're offering a 12yo 43%abv Balblair.

I don't know what sort of casks are at play in this 21yo, though I'm assuming it was filtered and colored because G&M never stated otherwise. Today's batch was (I think) the 2017 version released in The States. I've always enjoyed the 8-year-old Highland Park from The MacPhail's Collection, so I hope this works as a solid straightforward malt as well.

Distillery: Balblair

Ownership: Inver House (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)

Region: Northern Highlands

Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Range: The MacPhail's Collection

Age: at least 21 year old

Maturation: ???

Outturn: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose begins with sour apple candy and cinnamon sticks, followed by Brazil nuts, white flour and roasted corn. There's a pear note in the background that moves from fresh Bartletts to the canned variety.

There's actual malt and wort in the palate! Raw almonds, grapefruit bitters and tapioca pudding fill the middle, while ginger candy rests in the background.

It finishes with barley, salt, peppery heat and just a little bit of caramel candy.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I've seen reviewers refer to whiskies as "honest". I'm not quite sure what that means, nor do I comprehend the use of personification in whisky notes. But maybe this Balblair would be categorized as "honest". It's a simple, uncluttered whisky, not particularly exciting, full of grain, light on oak, and very drinkable. Had I tried this blindly, I would have guessed it was half its actual age, which isn't a bad thing if price is no barrier. Ultimately it doesn't top any of the vintage-era Balblairs (younger or older) that I've tried.

Availability - It's still around
Pricing - $150 and up

Rating - 81

Balblair 38 year old 1966

My brother and his wife just welcomed their second child, and first daughter, to this world. They're in a for a treat! Of course, my bias towards daughters began seven years and five months ago.

I tried to arrange the whisky schedule so that I could review this 38 year old sherry cask whisky as close as possible to my niece's birth. So here we are!

Balblair distillery's penchant for single malt vintages predates the recent squat bottles familiar to many of us. They released this 1966, a 1970 and 1979 in 2004-2005, but also offered up about a half dozen 1970s vintages at the millenium's turn. This 1966 whisky was distilled during Robert "Bertie" Cumming's ownership. Mothballed in 1911, the distillery remained silent (aside from military usage during World War Two) for 37 years until Cumming bought and reopened it. Cumming sold Balblair to Hiram Walker in 1970, and corporate mergers and acquisitions have taken place ever since.

But more importantly, it's time to drink some old whisky.

Distillery: Balblair

Ownership: Inver House (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)

Region: Northern Highlands

Age: 38 years old (1966 - September 2004)

Maturation: 2nd Fill Oloroso Sherry Casks

Outturn: 2,400 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 44%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Black walnuts start off in the nose's background, then slowly roll forward until they take top billing about 40 minutes in. Subtle coastal and dunnage notes frame marzipan, Luxardo cherries and fresh thyme. As the hour passes, toffee, grapefruits, and finally guavas appear.

Earth and herbs meet mango, dried cranberries and Cara Cara oranges in the early palate. It gets zestier with time, and a little sweeter. Two different leafy notes appear as well: first a chlorophyll/green character, then tobacco. The fruits recede to the edges.

Nectarines and dried apricots join the oranges in the finish. It evolves from fruity honey sweetness to a sharp tartness, then the wood starts to edge in.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Over the past few years I've become a sucker for the black walnut note. But black walnut + dunnage + guava?! This whisky's nose is, as I wrote down, "an all-timer". The palate's fruits are very good, and not surprising to this old Balblair fan. But the earthiness was a bit of a shock, a welcome shock at first. Perhaps that character came from the oak, because the beams started showing in the finish. And the finish is truth. Had everything matched the nose, my goodness...

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - $,$$$

Rating - 90 (but the nose tho)

Killing Whisky History, Episode 37: White Horse, bottled 1985-1989

White Horse blended scotch returns (see Episode 1), but this time it's in a bigger bottle from the '80s! The whisky was bottled way down at 40%abv, but I was willing to take a chance on it because......White Horse.

Was it a good idea? If so: There's so much whisky in the bottle! If not: There's so much whisky in the bottle!

Balblair 11 year old 2006 cask 711, hand-filled at the distillery

Monday brought a winey sherried 2006 Balbair. Today I have for the benefit of us all a Balblair from an unstated cask type. It has some color to it, but not the dark maroon of Monday's cask. This particular pour comes from a bottle filled by the hands behind My Annoying Opinions. There's a problematic joke hiding in that previous sentence, but I'm no Randy Brandy so I'll avoid it. I'll just drink the whisky.

Distillery: Balblair

Ownership: Inver House (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)

Region: Northern Highlands

Age: 11 years old (2006-2018)

Maturation: unknown....

Cask #: 711

Exclusive to: the distillery!

Alcohol by Volume: 58.2%

(thank you to My Annoying Opinions)

NOTES

Shortbread biscuits, oranges and apricots arrive first in the nose. Hints of roses and lemongrass stay in the background. The fruits get louder once the whisky is reduced to 46%abv, followed by new notes of cardamom, mint chewing gum and grassiness.

The palate starts with barley (imagine that), lemons and oats. There's something earthy about it as well, though not quite smoky. Mild sweetness and oak spice color the background. It gets at nice thick texture when diluted to 46%abv. There are pears, apricots and honey. Almost brandy-like. A touch of dill in the back.

It finishes with lemon juice and lime lollies, sweeter than the palate but not too desserty. Pears, mint and lemons highlight the conclusion at 46%abv.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Balblair rolled this one out just before the oak started throwing 'bows, which shows they're willing to demonstrate some cask management even for the visitors! I like this stuff, as the fruit and grain balance well with the wood notes. Sir Opinions and I found very similar characteristics in the nose, but he found a bit more oak in palate. He picked a good one.

Next week, some older Balblair...

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???

Rating - probably the definition of an 87 rating

Balblair 13 year old 2006, cask 76 for K&L Wine Merchants

I've long supported Balblair distillery, and look forward to cheering them on for years and decades to come. Aside from the bulky bottle and box design from before their recent reboot, the Balblair single malt brand comes with minimal flashiness and hubbub. And the whisky is great.

I'm glad they started releasing official single casks, and it's fun to see them plopping sherry butts and ex-Islay casks into the marketplace. And whenever (if ever) international shipping gets easier, I'll get a bottle from their current age-stated range.

With only four Balblair pours to share, I will spare you another cluster. I'll start the quartet with a pair of vintage 2006 single casks this week...

Distillery: Balblair

Ownership: Inver House (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)

Region: Northern Highlands

Age: 13 years old (2006-2019)

Maturation: Spanish Oak Oloroso Butt

Cask #: 76

Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants

Alcohol by Volume: 56.2%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Marzipan, raspberries, earth and roses start the nose. It picks up more cask with time, gaining buttery caramel, prunes and toasted oak. The nose stays pretty similar once the whisky is diluted to 46%abv, though there are fewer prunes and more marzipan and caramel.

The palate is very winey, like the sweet Upstate New York reds (Thirsty Owl's Red Moon!) I used to drink almost two decades ago. Grape juice and caramel meet with raspberry syrup. It much mellower at 46%abv, feeling more like PX than Oloroso (or red wine, for that matter). It's jammy but not winey, specifically on blackberry preserves and dried currants.

It finishes sweet and warm, with grape juice and prunes. At 46%abv, one may find more blackberry jam and baking spices.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

As per the above notes, this reads like a wine cask or one of McEwan's Black Farts. So, I guess one could say it's a contemporary sherry cask, complete with a dark reddish hue. It's not my jam — how often am I allowed to make that quip? — but it's not bad. I recommend diluting it, especially if, like me, you could do without all the prunes. Plus it feels more pulled together at 46%abv. I'd like to see this stuff with less fortified wine involved...

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - it was $110

Rating - 83 (diluted)

Glenrothes 1972-2005

I began this week essentially nominating Glenrothes for the The Great Meh Distillery title. Since then, I've had three very good Glenrothee. But surely a 30-something year old single malt distilled in 1972 will be bog water. Right?

Distillery: Glenrothes

Ownership: The Edrington Group
Region: Speyside (Rothes!)
Age: 32-33 years (1972 - 2005)
Maturation: ???

Outturn: ???
Alcohol by Volume: 43%

(thank you to the man who pilfered this dusty from The 213)

NOTES

The nose begins almost like an old Calvados, with baked apples and pears. Then there's the honey cake we had at kiddush in the synagogue when I was a kid. My notes then say "macrons"; did I mean macarons? Or does the whisky smell like France's first family? You decide. After that: hints of maple sugar, iodine and seaweed. Finally, again quoting my notes, "Sticky Icky in the BG". I can't imagine what that's supposed to mean.

Musty oak, sandalwood incense and a hint of cigarettes start off the palate. Tiny notes of dried herbs, dried apricots and dried leaves. But it's mostly a series of old oak tones, though not as far down the path as liquid furniture (see Pappy 23).

A little bit of sherry cask appears in the finish, along side cracked peppercorns, dried leaves and the palate's bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This is unlike any Glenrothes I've had before. But then again, I don't think I'd tried too many older than 20yo. Having completed three decades in a cask, and starting a fourth, the whisky has gradually taken on plenty of oak; the key word being "gradually." The result is a remarkably expressive nose. Though I liked the palate's aged tobacco-like style, the oak's dominance didn't leave room for much else. Again I wonder what this was like at cask strength, and what was lost in the dilution.

Availability - ???
Pricing - ???

Rating - 86