A month or so ago, I got invited to join a few fellow tweeters for a Balblair whisky Twitter tasting. The range we tried included the Balblair 90, Balblair 03 and the one I liked the most, the Balblair 1999 Vintage whisky. The Balblair 1999 whisky was a real “sit down and think of life” dram.
Rich, fruity sweet, full-bodied. Delicious! It made me realize that, although I have made quite a dent in my own bottle of Balblair whisky and photographed it extensively, I have never captured the tasting notes or written about it. It is the Balblair 2000 Vintage single malt Scotch whisky release, so hopefully it follows in the 1999’s footsteps.
John Ross founded the first Balblair distillery in 1790. After his death, the distillery passed down to his son and in 1872 the distillery was rebuilt on a site higher up on the hills. The Balblair distillery lies in Edderton in the Northern Scottish Highlands, surrounded by mountains, from where the Allt Dearg – Balblair’s water source – springs.
Balblair was forced to close during World War I and did not reopen until 1949. In 1948 Keith-based lawyer, Robert ‘Bertie’ Cumming, bought it. Cumming ran the distillery until his retirement in 1970.
In 1996, Allied Domecq sold the distillery to its current owners, Inver House Distillers. Old Pulteney, anCnoc and Speyburn single malts, as well as Hankey Bannister and Catto’s blended whisky, are part of their portfolio.
The bottle is beautiful and stands out among the other more standard bottle shapes. According to some research, the design is inspired by the nearly Pictish stone Clach Biorach. The raised edging design on the bottle is gorgeous! It makes for an unusual photo opportunity as you can see above.
The Balblair 2000 Vintage single malt Scotch whisky was aged in first fill American oak casks.
REGION: Highland
ABV: 43%
COLOUR: This is a very light whisky in colour. It has hints of golden-yellow and green.
NOSE: There are hints of fresh-cut flowers, malt, sweet tropical fruit with bits of spiciness floating about. Once you let the whisky breathe, more of the sweet notes come through.
PALATE: The flavour development on the Balblair 2000 is both interesting and complex. It starts with oak and then slowly transforming into sweetness with some coffee. It transforms into a fruity sweet note with bits of cinnamon spice. On the second sip, I get loads of oak spice, hints of bitter citrus and floating in the background, candied raisins.
The addition of water certainly makes the whisky a lot more easy drinking, but it does seem to take away some of the fresh-cut flowers from the nose as well as some of the citrus notes from the palette.
FINISH: The Balblair 2000 Scotch whisky has a medium length finish and end in notes of fruity sweetness and dried wood.
RATING: EXCELLENT
I finished the first tasting glass without adding water and had to get a second glass for reference purposes. It is better without water. Water takes away the complexity.
From what I can see, both the Balblair 2000 and 1999 vintages are sold out. But you can still get your hands on the Balblair 03 and 1990 release. Both smashing drams!
This 2000 Vintage has made it onto my Top 5 Single Malt whiskies under R500 list. During 2019 Balblair revamped their Vintage ranges and started releasing age statements starting with the Balblair 12 yo and going up to a 25 yo whisky. The range also includes a Balblair 17 yo whisky that is only available in Travel Retail.
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