Can I say that I am a fan of Balblair? Yes, I think so. The distillery has stolen my heart from the moment I visited it for the first time and whenever I’m in the area I visit the distillery again. Sometimes to do a tour, but usually to have a chat with the friendly staff and to taste something new. Now I have been at the distillery quite often in recent years and almost every time they have a new distillery exclusive (a hand bottling). And these single casks are often very good. That is why I have added a few of these to my collection. The last one I bought is this Balblair 2006, which I bought a few weeks back so I think it is still available at the distillery.
This Balblair has matured in a ex-bourbon cask and is bottled at 59% ABV. Around 11 year old.
Balblair 2006 tasting notes:
Nose: Pears and apples at first. A touch of malted barley, and icing sugar. Somewhat honeyed too. A hint of green kiwis. With a little bit of water it becomes more fruitier, much better and the kiwi note is very much present now.
Taste: Schweppes, orange peels and apple peels too actually. This is followed by unripe green kiwis, which gives it a bit of a bitter aspect. With water much nicer and more balanced, although there is a weird sugary aspect to the taste. But certainly not bad though.
Finish: The finish is mid-long with mainly kiwis and green apples and a bit of coconut too.
I quite like this style of Balblair. It is slightly less sweet than others I’ve tried before, but it still has that typical Balblair fruitiness. It’s also very nicely layered. Glad I picked this one up!
