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Like Glenrothes, Balblair is a distillery that insists on aging their whisky until it’s ready, opting to release using vintages rather than age statements and a standard range. The 1983 is one of the older versions out there today. The first release was bottled in 2014 making this whisky 31 years old.
After that long, you’d expect only one or two dominant notes (*cough*wood*cough*oak*) but it’s truly balanced. Take a look for yourself! Balblair is a distillery doing everything right!
| Category | Notes |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Golden Amber |
| Nose | Surprisingly gentle. Caramel, cotton candy, waxy, malt, vanilla, green banana, citrus, hint of almond, apples |
| Taste | Tart apples, a heap of pencil shavings and lumber, toffee, vanilla, sour cherries, cinnamon, honey, hint of fennel |
| Finish | Medium length, Werther's Original, more oak and vanilla, piney and slightly minty at the very end. |
| Overall Thoughts | If I was tasting this blind, I'd be hard-pressed to believe that this was a 30 year old whisky. It's bright, vibrant, and complex without heavy sherry, dominating oak, or special cask influence. A well-crafted malt for sure. |
| Total Score | 95/100 |
