
April 28, 2022

Blair Athol four plus two

I'm glad we're seeing more Blair Athol these days. Blair Athol has not always only been about Bell's, has it… Remember it's even been part of UD's Classic Malts for a very short while.

Blair Athol 12 yo 2008/2021 (56.7%, Isman Taichung, hogshead, cask #309320, 266 bottles)

Another little line for Taiwan, where our friends seem to be extremely busy. Lovely label, by the way. Colour: white wine. Nose: just rough dough, chalk, grist and that overripe apple + light meadow honey combination. A little vanilla for good measure. With water: your head under a distillery mill. Huge barley and a tiny touch of candle wax. Mouth (neat): some very fine barley eau-de-vie, with notes of kirschwasser and white rhum agricole 'straight from the column'. That would have been a Creole column, naturally. With water: more complex this time, mostly grassier, a tad acetic in a good way, with some pear peel as well. Malt whisky integrally al natural, with no wine and very little wood in the way. Finish: long and chalkier again. Some curious touches of high-ester rum this time. Grand Arôme - like. Comments: store for twenty years and presto, a winner. Well that's not that 'presto', is it.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Another hogshead…

Blair Athol 12 yo 2009/2022 (52.5%, Chapter 7, bourbon hogshead, cask #301068, 299 bottles)

Love these no compromise labels too, they scream 'it's about the content'. Or song over plumage… Colour: straw. Nose: similar, just a tad more on vanilla and varnish, as suggested by the darker colour. Danishes, preserved apricots, melon liqueur, all that over chalk and grist. With water: a delicate earthiness, some roots, ginseng… Mouth (neat): excellent, sweeter and fruitier. Sweet IPA, pink grapefruits and Timut pepper, peaches and apricots, touches of coconut… The chalky and gristy side is a bit buried now. With water: same moves as on the nose, more earth and roots. Turmeric, parsnips, some sweeter red kuri squash, perhaps… Finish: Comments: a good example of a cask that was simply more active. Another excellent one, I'd need five litres of each to tell you which is my favourite. Better not.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Umph…

Blair Athol 12 yo 2009/2022 (52.5%, Chapter 7, refill red wine cask, cask #306651, 258 bottles)

Red wine? Which country? Region? Varietal? Vintage? Oh of course we're joking, but let's first check whether the colour is pink or not… Colour: not, it's just 'straw'. Phew. Nose: just a notch grassier and tighter than its sister, with rather less ex-American sweet and easy goodness. In a sense, we're closer to the Taiwanese. With water: shuts the door. Stems, leaves, buds… Notes of peonies and nasturtium leaves. The chefs are using that more and more in their food, that's cool. Mouth (neat): kirsch and raspberry liqueur, oranges, grassy teas, greener spices… Was it European oak? With water: takes time to find its way. I find it relatively grassy. Finish: medium, grassy, leafy. Melon skin. Comments: really good but its sibling outshined it, in my humble opinion. I may have had to try this one first within this session.
SGP:461 - 84 points.

#4 and last will be a much older one…

Blair Athol 31 yo 1989/2020 (52.4%, Spheric Spirits, refill bourbon hogshead, 228 bottles)

This one straight from Leipzig, let's see if it's going to be a Bachfest. Because everyone loves Bach! Colour: light gold. Nose: as expected, this is gentler, cakier, more on biscuits, and more on flowers as well (ylang-ylang, which is fab), then apricots and ripe bananas, acacia honey, elderflowers... With water: some tarte tatin made with apricots instead of apples. Mouth (neat): a fruity extravaganza, mainly on tropical ones, especially guavas and bananas, plus various honeys. Much more complex than this lousy note would suggest. Touch of violet (crystallised flowers). With water: a tad more towards citrus, especially proper clementines and orange jam (not marmalade). Finish: medium, wonderful, rather fresh and 'tropical'. Honeyed aftertaste. Comments: I don't know what Herr Kappelmeister would have said, but I do say 'spitzenklasse!' Superb fruits and very high drinkability index.
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Bonus drop from the boxes, or back to Taiwan…

Blair Athol 18 yo 2000/2018 (58.6%, Archives, for Taiwan, hogshead, cask #57, 329 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: back on chalk, varnish, sourdough, grass, fruit peel and even paraffin. This is one self-restrained Midlander, so far! With water: a little saponification happening, which wouldn't go away that fast. Asparagus and leek, rubbed lemon skin… Mouth (neat): little fruit drops, bubblegum, icing sugar, banana foam, limoncello… You see. Could have been the very high strength. With water: big green citrus. Pomelos, grapefruits… And I keep finding a little asparagus. Finish: zesty/grassy and rather long. Paraffin and lemon pips in the aftertaste. Comments: rather a tough boy, to be reckoned with! Hard to score, unless you're not in favour of a little paraffin and soft soap. Which is not my case.
SGP:561 - 84 points.

Bonus #2…

Blair Athol 'Resistance UA' (50%, Ukrainian Whisky Fans Association, 317 bottles, 2022)

A wonderful initiative by 'not just brands' with all profits transferred to Ukrainian humanitarian associations. Please check whiskyua.com. They were in Limburg, where you could buy these bottles; there's also an Inchfad that's pretty, pretty good! Remember doing some good when buying or drinking whisky is always a good feeling. Colour: an apricotty tinge (almost rosé wine, really), so probably ex-Port or red wine. Perhaps even Ukrainian red, you never know… Nose: moderately aromatic malts, such as Blair Athol, are often the best choices if your aim in life, as a whisky bottler, is to use red wine. Well, that's my opinion. Rather a lot of rosehip tea, with whiffs of peonies and geranium flowers. Always insist on 'flowers' because leaves and stems rather smell badly, in my opinion – well, they are recorded flaws in wine. Then strawberry cake, fruit bread, figs and panettone. With water: geared towards brioches, more strawberry cake, grist and raw barley… The vinous touches are almost gone, a little surprisingly. Mouth (neat): all cool, good, fruity and malty, with rather less vinosity than on the nose. Raisin bread and cake, some cracked pepper, drop of ginger ale, quite a lot of cloves, a little orange peel… With water: once again, it became a straighter Blair Athol, with an excellent maltiness. Finish: medium and really well-balanced. Orange wine. Comments: all powers to the Ukrainian Whisky Fans Association and their country. Unconditional respect!
SGP:651 - 87 points (true score, not a political one!)

Another good session with only highish marks…

Check the index of all Blair Athol we've tasted so far