Balblair 12 year old Whisky

I have slowly been working through my collection of Balblair Vintage mini’s this past year.  Just as I finished my last review on the 1990 Vintage, Balblair surprised me with something new. They moved away from their well-known vintage releases in favour of aged statement releases.

Staying with their house style of apricots, oranges, spices, floral notes, and green apple notes, Balblair released a 12 year old, the Balblair 15 year old, 18 year old whisky and a 25 year old single malt whisky.

There is also a Balblair 17 year old whisky that is a travel retail release. Still aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and sherry casks, the goal was to revive interest in their creaminess and fruit-forward flavour profile.

There has been quite a bit of comment, both positive and negative, in the whisky halls regarding the change. Many  people wanted to stock up on their favourite Balblair Vintages before they disappear.

However, I think change is good ,and this allows me a new look at Balblair, starting with the Balblair 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky. It also makes understanding their core range easier, and according to some information, Balblair distillery will continue to release Vintage bottles regularly.

I was invited to take part in the Balblair Twitter tasting during May, where they introduced their new releases to some whisky bloggers. However, South African Customs had other ideas (as usual).

The samples only arrived two weeks after the Twitter tasting. But now I have a leisurely time to look at each release and evaluate it without any interruption.

Balblair is a Highland Distillery surrounded by beautiful by rugged mountains and uses the Allt Dearg springs as their water source. It is owned by Inver House Distillers, who also own Catto’s, Hankey Bannister and Speyburn whisky.

The range comes in new packaging but retains the Balblair’s signature bottle shape. The new logo is beautiful and inspired by the nearby Struie Hill. The Balblair 12 year old Scotch was matured in ex-bourbon and double fired American oak casks and is non-chill filtered and has no added colour.

Also Read: The Arran Malt Sherry Whisky

Balblair 12 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Highland

ABV:  46%

COLOUR: Polished gold

NOSE: Wood, wispy sweetness, green notes fruit, grass, and spices.  The nose is soft and delicate.

PALATE: Barley and oak mixed with wood, ripe red berries and hints of honey. Bits of pepper heat, vanilla, and orange peel. Not as sweet as the nose promised. I was expecting more sweetness on the palate. Water softens the pepper spice heat and brings more orange blossoms to the front.

FINISH: Long and lingering and the best bit of dram. It ends in pepper and orange notes and is beautifully warming.

RATING: VERY GOOD

What an exciting start to the age statement releases from Balblair. For me, the Balblair 12 year old captures the essence of their house style and is the foundation from which all the other age statements follow.

I found the spiciness of this release a bit too much for my specific liking, I have a sweet palate and prefer a bit sweeter whisky. But that is my personal palate preference. The hubby loved the spicy notes (it suits his palate).

It is a way to start a new set of releases, and I am very excited to taste the rest of the range. According to Balblair, this 12 year old whisky will go very nicely with some  hot-smoked salmon niçoise salad.

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Sample disclosure: I received this sample directly from Balblair. Though received as part of a promotional event, the review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair and independent thoughts on the whisky.