
October 26, 2018

Little duos, today Bladnoch

You need a PhD or more to understand anything about the recent history of Bladnoch and their bottlings, and frankly, I was about to throw in the towel, given that I’m not a huge fan of the recent official ‘cube-ish’ expressions.

Bladnoch 1990/2017 (49.4%, Antique Lions of Spirits, bourbon, 276 bottles)

Wondering if I’m not becoming an Antique Lion of Spirits too. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s a clean and straight one, rather than one of those slightly offbeat feinty and butyric ones. Nice vanilla, all sorts of sweets and bonbons, hints of fresh walnuts, a few drops of orange squash, and a lovely albeit discreet mushroomy side. Say rhodopaxillus nudus and-I-am-not-joking, those are the season’s mushrooms over here in the Vosges mountains. Mouth: good but a little too bonbony for me, this time. You would believe you’ve just eaten a whole jar of lemon flavoured confectionery chips. Spectacularly lemony, or at least citrusy, but to me this is becoming a little ‘too much’, all the more so because I’m also staring to find notes of lavender sweets. Finish: medium, lemony, a tad too fermentary – which shouldn’t happen in any finishes, in my opinion. Comments: Bladnoch can be great when it’s 100% right, but I believe that doesn’t always happen. Now some other 1990s have been excellent, some fetching 90 in my book.
SGP:641 - 79 points.

Bladnoch 25 yo 1993/2018 (54.4%, Signatory Vintage, 30th Anniversary, hogshead, cask #777, 239 bottles)

Bladnoch 25 yo 1993/2018 (54.4%, Signatory Vintage, 30th Anniversary, hogshead, cask #777, 239 bottles)
1993? I think that was Bladnoch’s last vintage under United Distillers’ flag, quite a few years before the Armstrongs restarted it. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s more coherent, I would say, and less one-dimensionally fruity, although I’m finding quite some pears and pineapples (the infernal duo), as well as watermelons and bush peaches. Let’s say tinned fruits. With water: more towards fresh bread and porridge. Lemon juice over porridge, with a spoonful of Bunnahabhain. Whatever. Mouth (neat): good, because balance is right. Lemon drizzle, sweets, limoncello, citron liqueur… At least this is totally Bladnochian, and reminds of one of the Rare Malts, can’t remember which one (now that was useful, S.) With water: yyyyep. Grassy lemons, no excessive sweetness, no syrupy feelings. Certainly not a complex malt whisky, but once again, balance is right. And balance is important. Finish: medium, narrow, lemony. Lemon and rhubarb pie in the aftertaste. Comments: as I said, this is pure Bladnoch. And I would emphasize the word ‘pure’.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Check the index of all Bladnoch we've tasted so far