SMWS 9.39 (Glen Grant 33 yo 1972/2006)

SMWS 9.39 (Glen Grant 33 yo 1972/2006)

2006, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Mahogany
51.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cognac, oak, raisins, rubber bands, black pepper, nectarines, brown paper, hints of cayenne pepper.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sweet. Christmas pudding, oak, brandy, glace cherries, cinnamon, nutmeg, apples, hints of peanuts.
Finish: Long. Coffee, apples, oak.

Comments:

Excellent old sherry monster. Tastes very similar to the DL OMC bottling I got for my birthday. There are slight differences - this one is more peppery and appley - but the lovely brandy, rubber band notes are exactly the same.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 73.26 (Aultmore 25 yo 1982/2008)

SMWS 73.26 (Aultmore 25 yo 1982/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
55.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange peel, figs, salt caramel, black pepper, blueberries, hints of seaweed.
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands in the mouth, thickens slightly.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Oak, sherry, oranges, chocolate, raisins, brazil nuts. Water brings out more fruity notes - mango, kiwifruit, among others.
Finish: Long. Oak, leather, peaches, peanuts.

Comments:

Quite fruity and complex. After tasting 2 other whiskies in quick succession before this one, I probably wasn't able to appreciate it properly, particularly after adding water. Slightly salty too - add a little peat or smoke and it would be extremely delicious.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 26.56 (Clynelish 8 yo 1999/2008)

SMWS 26.56 (Clynelish 8 yo 1999/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - North Highlands
Straw
61.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemons, sea salt, cheddar cheese, brass polish, limes, hints of mint.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sour salty. Lemons, lemon meringue pie, salted popcorn, mint, hint of olive oil.
Finish: Medium. Warm, chillies.

Comments:

Not very Clynelish-ey, at least to me. There are the lemon and brass notes I associate with this distillery, but they are quite muted. The whisky is surprisingly salty too. I would have thought this was an unpeated Caol Ila, perhaps, if there were such a thing. Very young and fiery.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 50.34 (Bladnoch 15 yo 1992/2008)

SMWS 50.34 (Bladnoch 15 yo 1992/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Lowlands
Straw
56.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, butter, peaches, chocolate, blueberries, floral lightness.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, quite smooth.
Tasting: Sweet. Bread, cookie dough, grassy, chocolate, lettuce, lemons. With water, sweeter and more savoury, like a good carrot cake.
Finish: Medium. Dark chocolate, grapefruit.

Comments:

Light and subtle, this. Instantly identifiable as Lowlands, even though this is my first dram from this distillery. Gets more rough and heavy with water though, a little less enjoyable in my opinion.

Verdict:

I like this.

Balvenie Distillery

Balvenie Distillery
Dufftown
Keith
Banffshire AB55 ADH

Speyside, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

I would consider Balvenie the quintessential Speyside - sweet, fruity, and not too heavy (but not too light either). For me, it's a benchmark malt, what I measure other Speysides against.

Balvenie is quite fruity, with lots of oranges (this seems to be consensus) and apricots (not really consensus). I think it's also got a fair bit of vanilla, although this flavour element is quite unobstrusive and is usually underlying the fruit. It's pretty ubiquitous though. There are lots of caramel notes going on too (do they add caramel to their official bottlings?) - caramel itself, dulce de leche, butterscotch, in the Wordle below.



All the Balvenies I've tasted so far are here.

Balvenie 12 yo Double Wood - good
Balvenie 15 yo Single Cask 1990/2006 - good
Balvenie 21 yo Port Wood - good

Distillery history

Founded in 1892, by William Grant. It was originally supposed to be called Glen Gordon. It's still owned by William Grant today. It's never been silent, according to the information I have.

The original 2 stills were added to in 1957, again in 1965 and again in 1971. An entirely new distillery, Kininvie, was constructed on Balvenie's premises in 1990. This distillery supplies malt for the Grant's blends, freeing up more Balvenie malt for bottling as single malt. There are many official bottlings, with the 12 yo DoubleWood the most popular.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Springs from the Conval Hills
Washbacks: Ten, Oregon pine, 50,000 litres each
Wash stills: Four, reflux bowls neck, 2 are 12,729 litres each, 2 are 9,092 litres each
Spirit stills: Five, reflux bowls neck, 12,729 litres each
Spirit still Lyne arm: nothing unusual
Production per year: 5,000,000 litres a year

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

SMWS 85.19 (Glen Elgin 8 yo 1999/2008)

SMWS 85.19 (Glen Elgin 8 yo 1999/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
62.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butter, raisins, salted egg (Chinese style), ham, rice, cream, hints of cinnamon. Water moderates the salt and brings out the raisins.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Scottish tablet, plums, oranges, stewed rhubarb, oat bread, hints of pineapple. Water brings out more tablet, much sweeter.
Finish: Long, sour, aluminium foil, stewed rhubarb.

Comments:

A little warm and tingly, due to the alcohol content, but quite tasty in the mouth. I do like Scottish tablet, and it's certainly an unusual note in whisky, in my limited experience. The stewed rhubarb provides an interesting counterpoint. However, the harsh metallic finish is a little off-putting.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 23.59 (Bruichladdich 14 yo 1993/2008)

SMWS 23.59 (Bruichladdich 14 yo 1993/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Gold
52.1% ABV
Dram]

Nose: Sour plums, brine, vodka, tomato, lemons, grapefruit.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, expands in the mouth.
Tasting: Sour salty. Lemons, hazelnuts, white pepper, plums, sea salt, apples, hints of peat. Water brings out plums, prunes and apricots.
Finish: Medium. Plums, cotton candy, sea salt.

Comments:

One of the very lightest Islays I have ever had. Almost could be mistaken for a Lowlands whisky, except for the slight hint of peat. Very fruity too, with no smoke at all. Quite refreshing and enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 73.28 (Aultmore 15 yo 1992/2008)

SMWS 73.28 (Aultmore 15 yo 1992/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
59.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, orange peel, varnish, oak, raisins, hints of raspberry jam. Water brings out lots of peach and magic marker.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, sweet.
Tasting:Sweet. Oranges, raspberries, cherries, oak, pears, raisins, hints of peat. Water brings out magic marker (but no peach!).
Finish: Medium, magic marker, raisins, peanuts.

Comments:

Quite tasty, and lots of chemical notes with diluted with water. Reminds me of pear drop sweets, only just that little too strong. One of the sweeter, more luscious Speysides.

Verdict:

I like this.

Littlemill 16 yo 1990/2006

Littlemill 16 yo 1990/2006

Old Malt Cask, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Lowlands
Straw
50% ABV
Mini

Nose: Lemon sweets, peat, roast chicken, chocolate, hints of rose, hints of lavender.
Mouthfeel: Light body, smooth, watery, volatile.
Tasting: Sour salty. Lemons, oat biscuits, butter, white grapes, orange peel.
Finish: Long. Light, lemons, gooseberries.

Comments:

DL Cask #2930. On nosing, doesn't smell like a Lowlands whisky, much less a Littlemill. Quite meaty, yet floral. However, the meaty notes disappear in the mouth, and it's wonderfully refreshing and light. Very, very nice. They really shouldn't have closed this distillery.

Verdict:

I like this a lot!

SMWS 116.13 (Yoichi 23 yo 1985/2008)

SMWS 116.13 (Yoichi 23 yo 1985/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Hokkaido
Dark gold
51.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, smoke, peat, soy sauce, bacon, hints of spiced apple, hints of butter.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, smooth.
Tasting: Bitter. Oranges, smoke, peat, peaches, pineapples, raisins, bacon. Water transforms the oranges into orange peel, a little more volatile and oily to the tongue.
Finish: Long. Smoke, salted peanuts, oranges.

Comments:

Another sweet and savoury whisky. It's very unlike the official Yoichi, being a lot more smoky and meaty. Almost like a good Bowmore, except there's a fairly obvious hint of pineapple. It's a good reminder that Japanese whisky has a character all of its own.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.