Balblair 15 Yr. Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The nose shows pure Balblair character with aromas of apricot, yellow plum, fresh grain, dried orange peel, nougat and some warm baking spices. The palate is easy going with orchard fruits, nougat, a distinct cocoa / chocolate note and a smooth and supple mouthfeel. Enjoy! D&M Tasting Notes  46% ABV

In a valley along the coast of North East Scotland, around 40 miles south of John o’ Groats. This is a place long associated with human habitation, and was the site of a famous prehistoric battle between the Vikings and the Celtic Picts. The original Balblair distillery was made legitimate in 1790 by the Ross family in Edderton and run by them for three generations. It was sold to Alexander Cowan in 1894, and the distillery itself was shifted to a new location just off the railroad line that ran up the Scottish East Coast. Interestingly, though the distillery was moved, they went to great expense and trouble to use the original water source. The distillery could not overcome the challenges of the early 1900s and closed in 1911. It was brought back to life by the owner of Old Pulteney Robert ‘Bertie’ Cumming following WWII, when Churchill patriotically pronounced that more Whisky needed to be made and sold to the US. Since its reopening, it has quietly though consistently put out whisky for a variety of corporate owners.

In the previous paragraph, we mentioned the consistent water source that Balblair has used since distilling began illegally in the 1740s. The water is drawn from the Allt Dearg Burn and transported about six miles via pipes (n.b. the distillery has the exclusive rights to the water from this spring). The malt that is used comes into the distillery with zero PPM of peat. From there, the fermentation of the malt and water is on the long side at around 48 hours in wood washback; successive distillery managers have stated that this is what provides the richness of flavor and a fruitiness in the resulting distiller’s beer. The unhurried process then moves to the stills, where a slow boil and the straight sides of both the wash and spirit stills makes for very little reflux. (Apologies for the geeky technical aspects!) These stills are sized at 19,000 liters for the wash still and 11,700 liters for the spirits still, and are responsible for an annual production of around 1.6 million liters of distillate at 68% ABV. Different from the largest players in the Scotch game, the spirits are aged on site at single story dunnage warehouses in a combination of Sherry and Ex-Bourbon barrels. Previously, Balblair would occasionally come out with vintage bottlings, but under the direction of distillery Manager John MacDonald, they have switched to a more traditional age statement model. John has been working at distilleries for over thirty years in almost every conceivable role, and has been in charge of Balblair for over a decade and a half. We have been impressed with the evolution under John’s stewardship, and are pleased to share their 15 Year with you all. This whisky spent its first thirteen years in ex-Bourbon barrels before being transferred to ex-Oloroso barrels for two years. Michael Kennel, D&M