Balmenach 26yo 1999/2025

Balmenach 26yo 1999/2025

Mystery Malt Series 5, Thompson Brothers
Single malt - Speyside
Pale green gold 
46.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, coffee, lemon zest, lime juice, burnt sugar, yoghurt, hints of bananas. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Malted grains, barley sugar, lime juice, grapefruit, honey, yoghurt, hints of bananas, hints of prunes. 
Finish: Long. Lemon sherbet, lemon zest, lime juice, honey, hints of yoghurt. 

Comments: 

Citrusy yet bitter, with a crisp, caramelly edge. It’s almost burnt caramel, the sort you scrape off the bottom of the pan. Quite a complex dram with a hint of lactic.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Balmenach 11yo 2011/2023

Balmenach 11yo 2011/2023

Hepburn’s Choice, Hunter Laing
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, gingerbread, malted grains, vanilla, black pepper, shortbread. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Malted grains, cocoa nibs, gingerbread, camphor, coffee, orange peel. 
Finish: Short. Cream, vanilla sponge, shortbread, malted grains. 

Comments: 

Bready, malty, chocolatey Balmenach. It’s very straightforward and approachable, with some herbal bitterness on the tongue providing some complexity. Tasty dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Balmenach 14yo 2009/2023

Balmenach 14yo 2009/2023

Connoisseur’s Choice Cask Strength, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
61.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, cloves, sugar cane, maraschino cherries, dark chocolate, hints of black pepper. With water, damson jam, black pepper, maraschino cherries. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, mouth coating, hot, astringent.
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Cocoa nibs, dark chocolate, raisins, maraschino cherries, black pepper, blackberry jam, hints of vanilla. With water, cream, malted grains, dark chocolate, raisins. 
Finish: Short. Dark chocolate, black tea, damson jam, blackberry jam. 

Comments: 

Cask 1863404. Very sweet, very sherried. I can’t help thinking the cask has overrun the delicate distillate. Still, it’s rather tasty, although I’m perhaps drinking it at the wrong time of the year. It’s a Christmassy dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Balmenach 10yo 2011/2022

Balmenach 10yo 2011/2022

Casks of Distinction, Lady of the Glen
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
56.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, yoghurt, green apples, lemon zest, fresh cut grass, grapefruit, hints of vanilla. With water, yoghurt, green apples, grapefruit, raisins, toffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, hot, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Green apples, grapefruit, dark chocolate, toast, toffee, cocoa nibs, hints of sour cherries. With water, green apples, raisins, toffee, cinnamon, yoghurt. 
Finish: Medium. Raisins, butterscotch, cocoa nibs, sour cherries. 

Comments: 

Cask 417. Fruity and bright Balmenach, with some darker, more bitter notes lurking underneath. Slightly unbalanced - more tart than sweet - but interesting and sparked discussion.

Verdict:

I like this.

Balmenach 19yo 1973/1992

Balmenach 19yo 1973/1992

Connoisseur’s Choice, Gordon & Macphail 
Single malt - Speyside 
Bright amber 
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Black tea, orange peel, vitamin C tablets, bovril, white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, loosens slightly, tingly.  
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Bovril, honey, white pepper, black tea, orange peel, sage, hints of cardamom. 
Finish: Long. Vitamin C tablets, orange peel, honey, cardamom, hints of bovril. 

Comments: 

Meaty, fruity and spicy, this whisky is unbalanced - gloriously so. There’s heaps of rich beefiness, jus or gravy or bovril, overlaid by fizzy vitamin C tablets and orange peel, plus some slightly rancid socks, in the best possible way. Odd, but utterly delicious. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Balmenach 13yo 2004/2018

Balmenach 13yo 2004/2018

Hidden Spirits Whisky Co
Single malt - Speyside
Dark yellow
51.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, rhubarb and custard sweets, pear drops, vanilla, orange peel. With water, lemon zest, cotton sheets, lemon sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, static, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour. Lemon juice, lime juice, green tea, green apples, vanilla, hints of cinnamon. With water, sweeter, lemon zest, fresh baked bread, Battenberg cake. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon juice, vanilla, pear drops, green apples. 

Comments: 

Cask BL418. Another gem from Hidden Spirits, and yes, I killed the bottle. It's pretty sour, lots of tart things, with some spicy notes. It opens up well with water, turning sweeter, and slightly herbal, a particular fragrance that I associate with freshly laundered cotton sheets. Very nice whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 48.64 (Balmenach 11 yo 2004/2015)

SMWS 48.64 (Balmenach 11 yo 2004/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Silver
57.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Limes, green tea, pine, green apples, plums, hints of leather. With water, salted plums, candied ginger, haw flakes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, oily, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Nori, green tea, salted plums, green apples, pine wood, hints of salt caramel. With water, saltier, sea salt, leather, haw flakes. 
Finish: Medium. Green tea, leather, nori, hints of salted plums. 

Comments: 

Very oriental, this whisky. There's astringent green tea neat, and salty umami flavours that bring to mind sushi seaweed and Chinese salted plums. With water, this salty vibe intensifies, together with a slight cooked fruit note that suggests haw flakes (something you probably only know of if you visit China or South East Asia).

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 48.53 (Balmenach 12 yo 2001/2014)

SMWS 48.53 (Balmenach 12 yo 2001/2014)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Green gold
57.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dried mangoes, sesame brittle, peaches, clementines, autumn leaves, hints of wet stones.
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, tingly, expands.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Dried mangoes, peaches, dried starfruit, sesame brittle, dried apples, hints of wet stones, hints of milk chocolate.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, dried apples, dried mango, dried starfruit, dried pineapple.

Comments:

Whoa! Best whisky this First Friday at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Laden with dried fruit, with dried mangoes predominating. Behind that huge note lurks dried starfruit (a delicacy, not too common), dried apples, and clementine peel. Lovely and fruity, this whisky lingers in the memory. No water, despite the strength.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 48.15 (Balmenach 9 yo 1999/2009)

SMWS 48.15 (Balmenach 9 yo 1999/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Gold
61.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemons, pine, pear drops, magic marker, rhubarb and custard sweets, brass polish, hints of biscuit.
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, thickens quickly, hot, volatile.
Tasting: Sour. Vanilla, honey, pear drops, rum and raisin ice cream, rhubarb and custard sweets, biscuit, hints of cedar, hints of lemons.
Finish: Medium. Peaches, plums, rum and raisin ice cream.

Comments:

Doesn't take water awfully well. Nevertheless, undiluted, the brassy fruity notes remind me of Rosebank, although this whisky is a nose smacking full-on beast instead of a gentle creature.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 48.6 (Balmenach 16 yo 1989/2005)

SMWS 48.6 (Balmenach 16 yo 1989/2005)

2005, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
54.0% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, peaches, roast chicken, chips, orange peel, hints of peat, hints of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, turns syrupy.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Chips, roast chicken, orange peel, petrol, vanilla, hints of peaches, hints of smoke.
Finish: Long. Peanuts, petrol, vanilla, orange peel.

Comments:

Roast chicken and chips, definitely. This was also the SMWS label on the bottle. But other than that, there's masses of fruit, vanilla, and maybe some petrol (vaguely unpleasant) in the finish. Interesting, enjoyable, but not great.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 48.13 (Balmenach 19 yo 1989/2008)

SMWS 48.13 (Balmenach 19 yo 1989/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
52.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: White pepper, lemon sweets, green apples, kiwifruit, hints of starfruit, hints of gooseberries.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, static.
Tasting: Bitter sour. Oranges, lemons, green apples, bitter chocolate, hints of chilli.
Finish: Medium. White vinegar, mint, quinine, hints of aniseed.

Comments:

Very harsh and astringent, almost vinegary. This was certainly not what I'd expected at all! I think I could learn to appreciate this whisky on its own merits, but because I was expecting a light, sweet-sour Speyside, it simply didn't agree with my tastebuds. Whisky is really a mood thing.

Verdict:

Not bad.