After trying it for the first time last year, Ballantines has quickly become my favourite blended whisky. The Ballantine’s Finest received my first divine rating, and the Ballantine’s 17 year old was my Blend of the Year 2014.
Based on 2013 case volume sales, Ballantine’s is the number 2 Scotch whisky brand in the world. I added the Ballantine’s 12 year old blended Scotch whisky to the collection, and my collection has grown to over nine different expressions.
The brand is owned by Pernod Ricard and produced in Dumbarton, Scotland. Ballantine’s Scotch whisky dates back to 1827. George Ballantine began supplying a selected range of blended Scotch whiskies to distinguished customers from his grocery store in Edinburgh.
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In 1938 they received the Grant of Heraldic Arms featured on their bottles. It recognized George Ballantine & Sons as an ‘incorporation noble on the Nobleness of Scotland’. The key ingredients in the Ballantine’s blends are Miltonduff and Glenburgie together with whisky from around fifty other malt distilleries as well as from four other grain distilleries.
We took this bottle with us on our trip to the Drakensberg mountains. It was the perfect accompaniment for the blue sky and the beautiful mountains.
Ballantine’s 12 year old Whisky Review
ABV: 43%.
COLOUR: Light golden. It is a medium oily whisky.
NOSE: Sweet with notes of fresh-cut flowers, condensed milk and oak. There are hints of vanilla in the background. The nose is nicely balanced and subtle.
PALATE: Quite spicy with hints of plump raisins. The Ballantine’s 12 year old whisky is rich and creamy smooth. Toffee notes appear after a bit. This blended whisky has a big mouthfeel and is lovely and chewy. Water smooths out the spicy notes and softens the hints of pepper. It brings a lightness to the glass and enhances the sweetness.
FINISH: Wonderful and long. It begins big and then fades away slowly leaving hints of spice and fruit.
RATING: EXCELLENT
The Ballantine’s 12 year old blended Scotch whisky has become our ‘go-to’ whisky for a relaxing, uncomplicated dram. It kicked my beloved Johnnie Walker Black Label off the Number 1 spot on our favourite list.
However, the question is: is the Ballantine‘s 12 year old as good as the 17 year old whisky? Not quite. The Ballantine’s 17 whisky blew my minds with its complexity and smooth, creamy quality.
However, this 12 year old is much more affordable than the Ballantine’s 17 year old as well as the Ballantine’s 30 year old and at the price point, a whisky you can drink again and again. This bottle cost around ₹ 5,650 in India.
I have found a Ballantine’s 7 year old Bourbon finish release that I wrote about as well.
Also read: Dewar’s 12 yo whisky
Alexrota1970
“PALATE: … rich and creamy smooth. … This blended whisky has a big mouthfeel and is lovely and chewy
FINISH: Wonderful and long. It begins big and then fades away slowly leaving hints of spice and fruit”
Are you sure? I’ve just opened a bottle of Ballantine’s 12 years … and in my tiny opinion I absolutely can not feel any gorgeous emotion described by your words.
It is an interesting whisky, but it’s very far from the wide and warm taste that embrace your mouth, like I’m happy to feel drinking Talisker, Laphroaig, Lagavulin.
Ballantine’s is too sharp and biting, I can feel much more alcohol than I was expecting. Anyway, it’s good enough to be tasted in many situation, but it’s not too far from average level supermarket whisky.