January 26, 2016

Balblair vertically part two

Remember that a superb 1968 by the SMWS was fantastic last time. Shall we find even better old Balblair today?...

Balblair (70° proof, Gordon & MacPhail, licensed bottling, 26 2/3 fl ozs, +/-1970)

This wonderful and rare NAS baby bears the distillery’s older label. Probably distilled very early 1960s or late 1950s. Colour: straw. Nose: one of the most delicate noses I’ve ever come across. It’s not impossible that bottle ageing made it even more complex than it was when it was bottled, but we’re really nosing the subtlest fruit salad ever. Red apples, pears, bananas, kiwis, mangos, papayas, oranges, you name them. All that is seasoned with a little mead, a drop of mint liqueur, a little grated ginger, and probably one dollop of Cointreau. All that is totally exquisite. Mouth: impressively un-weak, and akin to a 20 yo grand cru of Sauternes, I would say. A little Muscat, oranges, tinned litchis, lilies, various honeys, tangerines… And in the spice department, we’re rather having cinnamon and caraway. Finish: surprisingly long, with even more Muscat, litchis, and roses. Almost an Alsatian gewurz’! Comments: one should let some high-ranked sommeliers who don’t know much about whisky (there are thousands of them) try this. We’d win them over in a flash. SGP:741 - 92 points.

Balblair 24 yo 1951 (80° proof, OB, private bottling, 26 2/3 fl ozs, +/-1975)

These lovely bottles used to come with a neck label stating that it was ‘small still’ distillation. Charming! This is certainly the oldest vintage of Balblair I’ve ever tried, but that wee record may not hold for very long… Oh and it’s an extremely rare bottle, no need to say. Colour: gold. Nose: a similar style, with a little more wood influence, which translates into a little more coffee and, perhaps, horseradish. Other than that, it’s a tad more on western orchard fruits as well (cider apples, greengages), and a notch less on tropical ones. Traces of sawdust and vanillin. Mouth: one of the zestiest ones for sure. This is a lemon tarte! Lemon curd, orange zests, vanilla cream, kiwis, rhubarb… Yesterday we had one Balblair that tasted a bit of Bladnoch, this time that would rather be Rosebank, except that there are more passion fruits coming out in this Balblair. Finish: medium to long, superbly citrusy, with a spicy edge (nutmeg). Comments: marvellous, I just liked the G&M’s more natural side – that is to say with less wood spices - a notch more. SGP:651 - 91 points.

And now, drum roll please…

Balblair

Balblair’s workforce in 1949 (courtesy Balblair Distillery).
Perhaps is our next whisky from one of these casks?

Balblair 1949 (OB, Bertie Cumming's private cask, +/-1970)

Only very few bottles of this existed. Bertie Cumming bought the distillery in 1948, restarted it in 1949 (so this is from one of the very first batches), expanded it in 1964, and sold it to Hiram Walker (Allied) in 1970 before retiring. It’s more or less at that time that this bottle was drawn from the cask. No need to tell you that this is a very historical bottle, and that I’m extremely proud to be able to taste it, thanks to my great friend Angus. Colour: deep gold. Nose: nettle, lemongrass, hemp, and citrons. What a marvellous combination, and it’s fab to see that this style is still to be found in contemporary Balblair, provided it didn’t get buried under US oak or sherry (not saying that wouldn’t be good, but distillery character gets obviously a little overwhelmed). Love this menthol, these gentian roots, the elderberries, and the citrons indeed. And then the whiffs of saltpetre, old musty cellar, old barrels, humidor… An exceptional nose! Mouth: high power, perhaps like, say 55% vol. Starts a little sappy and resinous, goes towards turpentine, and ends up close to honeydew and some kind of sharper limoncello. It is just the opposite of a smooth whisky. With just a few drops of water: there, the tropical fruits! And I’m meaning passion fruits and mangos! There’s also a green tannicity, not obligatorily the greatest thing, but we just won’t care. Finish: long, tart, green, zesty. Litres of grapefruits in the aftertaste, and also a little mango and mint. Comments: it’s almost impossible to give a score to this kind of historical glory, it’s almost like going ‘right, the Sistine Chapel, 14.5/20’. Un-modest at best. But if I had to, especially if I had tasted it blind, I’d have gone for… SGP:661 - 91 points.

(With heartfelt thanks to the Balblair boyz Angus, Jon, and Phil)

Check the index of all Balblair I've tasted so far