Balblair is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland, having been officially founded in 1790 (although illicit distilling is believed to have taken place on the site for some time before that). The distillery lies in Edderton in the Northern Highlands (North of Inverness), surrounded by rugged mountains, where the Allt Dearg – Balblair’s water source – springs. This is an area has seen almost continuous human habitation, right on the distillery doorstep you will find the Clach Biorach, a four-thousand-year-old standing stone. Archaeologists believe it to be part of a prehistoric working calendar.
Every Scotch whisky distillery is different. From its location and water source, to its still shape and wood policy. These are all determining factors in how a whisky tastes.
The Balblair collection is intriguingly complex and satisfying. For the house style Balblair capture the intense esters at the start of the spirit cut to give the whisky its core characteristics of apricots, oranges, spices, floral notes and green apples. The heavier oils and lipids at the end of the cut are also captured, giving leathery, nutty and full-bodied characteristics.
Balblair 15yo
Balblair always release their whisky with natural colour and without chill-filtration. The 15yo is matured initially in American oak ex-bourbon casks, followed by the rich influence of first fill Spanish oak butts.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Baked apples with cinnamon and raisins at first. The raisins are juicy, the cinnamon sweet and the apples just sharp enough to balance everything. Spiced biscuits develop, with runny-honey sweetness and set honey complexity.
Palate: Garibaldi biscuits and barley sugar sweetness lead to toffee apples, cinnamon gobstoppers, aniseed balls and brown sugar. Sponge cake develops, heavily dosed with mixed peel, pickled ginger and hints of barrel char and spicy oak build around the edges.
Finish: Apple skins and nutmeg fade to leave damp oak and apple jam.
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