While visiting Scotland last year, I was fortunate to taste the Bladnoch 15 year old single malt Scotch whisky while staying with my sister and brother in law. The older bottling has the green label and the sheep on the front. Bladnoch is a new distillery to add to my tasting list, and it was fun sitting in the Scottish sun with my family and trying it.
The Bladnoch distillery is a Lowland single malt distillery close to Wigtown in Scotland. It’s seen as the Southernmost distillery in Scotland and one of six remaining Lowland distilleries. It is situated on the banks of the Bladnoch River, from which it draws its water.
The brothers John and Thomas McClelland founded the Bladnoch distillery in 1817. The distillery changed hands a few times and was owned over time by Ian Fisher and McGowan & Cameron, Inver House Distillers, and United Distillers Group.
In 1993, United Distillers mothballed the distillery. In 1994, Northern Irishman Raymond Armstrong discovered the mothballed distillery while on holiday there. Raymond fell in love with the distillery and bought it from Diageo.
The distillery reopened for production in December 2000. It produced its first 8 year old single malt in 2009; however, the distillery closed again in March 2014.
Australian entrepreneur David Prior bought the distillery a year later, and Bladnoch resumed production in the spring of 2017. The newer bottling and branding look very different from the older releases. They now come in square-shaped bottles with black and gold labelling.
Bladnoch Distillery also produces a blended Scotch whisky brand called Pure Scot whisky.
The bottling 15 year old cask strength Bladnoch whisky we tasted in Scotland was hand-labelled and bottled at the distillery. Not much further information is available on the bottling, and I suspect it was aged in ex-bourbon barrels.
Also Read:Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 12 year old Whisky
ABV: 55%
REGION: Lowlands
COLOUR: Rich gold
NOSE: Ripe dark fruit sweetness, Christmas pudding, with hints of cinnamon, orange and a nutty oiliness. Roasted coffee beans in the background.
PALATE: The Bladnoch 15 year old whisky is big and bold with notes of plums and prunes, cinnamon, pepper and freshly ground coffee beans. It has a bit of an alcohol burn and needs a few drops of water to bring more fruity notes to the front. With water, there are hints of chocolate-covered orange peel and green grass. It has a creamy nut note mixed with malt.
FINISH: Long and lasting with citrus and pepper notes and hints of sweetness.
RATING: EXCELLENT
The Bladnoch 15 year old is perfect for enjoying next to a summer BBQ. It is big and bold and not overwhelming. It needs some time to breathe and a few extra drops of water to shine.
The newer bottling is readily available in the UK; I have also seen it in South Africa. The newer Bladnoch retail from £53 upwards, and I have seen some on Amazon. These older bottlings of Bladnoch are only available at auction, and I have managed to get my hands on a bottle because I enjoyed it that much. It’s a worthy addition to my whisky collection.
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