Bladnoch 21 Year

Please note, this review is for the 26-year-old from independent bottlers That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Resuming the Scottish Distillery Tour after a couple of weeks off. Stop number 49 is Bladnoch. A Lowland distillery that apparently has very few official releases. This particular one is from the independent bottlers That Boutique-y Whisky Co. It's from a single ex-bourbon cask, aged for 26 years, and bottled at 47.8% ABV, with a natural yellow-gold color and non-chill filtered. The sample I have is from a 500mL bottle, one of only 165 produced. The aroma starts with heavy honey, cereal malt, and dried grass. There's a pronounced oak character with vanilla and caramel. It's slightly nutty with a hint of baked whitefish. The honey and malt notes continue to return, dominating the aroma for a period. It's quite floral, with fruits becoming increasingly noticeable: melon, peach pits, green grapes, and yellow apples. It progresses to tropical fruits like mango, though less prominent than the others. With further time, I detect brown sugar, toffee, and buttercream. This spirit benefits from patience. The palate presents a massive arrival, quite different from what I anticipated from the aroma. It's full of luscious fruits: apples, pears, berries, melons, mango, coconut, passion fruit, and possibly papaya. Truly excellent so far. It eventually shifts to resemble the aroma more closely, with vanilla, some pepper, floral honey, and malted barley. Sipping and swallowing without letting it linger reveals strong bourbon notes, and more of them. There are also some slightly perfumed characteristics. Nice. The mouthfeel is medium-full, oily, and mouthwatering. The finish is short to medium-short, very fruity with honey and vanilla. This is an outstanding independent bottling. It took time to reveal its true character, but it was well worth the wait. The aroma doesn't prepare you for the palate, and I appreciate being surprised like that (especially when it's positive). I was quite surprised that all those wonderful fruity flavors came from an ex-bourbon cask filled with Lowland new make spirit. The finish could have been longer, but overall, I'm impressed. Regarding value, justifying $150 for a 500mL bottle is difficult, but it's not unreasonable given the age. I rate this 4.25 stars and offer a big thanks to tour member for the sample. Cheers

This review pertains to the 26-year-old Bladnoch bottled independently by That Boutique-y Whisky Co., not the entry listed. I've been away for a few weeks. I suspect the extreme cold and holiday stress have tired my palate, leading me to take an involuntary 'mini-dry January'. I'm still working through our distillery group's samples, with only this one and perhaps one more remaining. This bottling comes from That Boutique-y Whisky Company and was kindly provided by a friend. I believe it was from a single cask and bottled at 47.8% ABV. That's quite impressive for such an aged spirit. The aroma begins with many common bourbon barrel notes: vanilla, sweet honey, and oak, followed by the typical fragrances of Lowland malt: subtle orchard fruits, grass, and a light perfume. This developed more complexity on the nose over time. Nothing was too dominant; they all mingled in the glass as if you were breathing in a gentle wind. Very pleasant. The palate was rich with tropical fruits like mango and coconut, along with ripe red berries, and was exceptionally smooth. Those Lowland floral notes introduced the ex-bourbon cask's astringency towards the finish, just in time to prevent the sweetness from causing dental issues. This was truly a delightful spirit. The finish was of medium duration, primarily featuring spicy pepper and a slightly out-of-place drying sensation, in my opinion. I would have preferred a juicier finish, which prevents this from being an almost perfect dram. Overall, this is among the finest Lowland spirits I've had the pleasure to experience. I don't recall the price my friend paid for this bottle, but I consider it well worth the cost. A genuinely wonderful dram that hits all the right spots. If you can still find a bottle, I highly recommend it. Thanks again to my friend. I rate this 4.25-4.5 stars. Cheers.

The first time I had this, I didn't like it much. I thought it tasted bitter and too farmy, not what I'd expect from a Lowlander. But then I heeded advice below and gave it a second chance. It not only helped airing it out, but the reduced amount in the bottle probably already started some oxidation. A hidden little gem; I've had products from That Boutique-y Whisky Company before, and generally found them well made, but never even heard of Bladnoch. Sounds like something the cat threw up. Fortunately it tastes much better. Tropical fruits, sort of like a well aged Irish single malt. Simply fruit forward, but loaded with fruits...mangoes, passion fruit, coconut. All sorts of exotic fruits. Finish is short, but you get an interesting pink peppercorn taste---slightly spicy, but not as much as black pepper, and not as grassy as green peppercorns...more floral spicy. I got it for about $150 for 500ml...so that translates to $225 for a regular bottle. Personally I'd much rather pay for a smaller bottle at a lower equivalent price, just because I can't finish a full bottle. I'd rather not spend the extra $75 then waste it in totality. So was it worth it? For me...yes, given a lower price and a smaller bottle.

The nose opens with orchard fruits, honey, vanilla and sweet bourbon. Let it sit a bit longer and confectionary sugar and malt works its way into the mix. It really begins to bloom and becomes fuller given time. Vanilla cream, dried grass/hay, honeydew. A lightweight nose. These aromas (for me) evoke images of a warm spring day in a grassy field. Arrives with a tingle on the tongue in a medium-light body. A fruity and sweet palate that delivers caramel apples, pineapples, coconut, melons, marshmallows. Like the nose, this benefits immensely with time and becomes sweeter and softer. There is a bit of lemon zest and fresh ginger which provides a gentle spicy zing at the finish. Caramel faintly comes through as it draws to a close. Drying oak brings this to the end eliminating or dominating the closing flavors. A bright, fruity dram with complimentary sweetness. Very akin to its nearby Irish mates in terms of sweetness, fruitiness and mouthfeel. Perfect almost as a cordial, closing out a rich meal or a spicy medium-bodied cigar. The cost though and the lack of exposure (at least near me) is prohibitive. All said, thanks for the sample and providing the opportunity to sample. [88/100][Tasted: 4/8/18]

Disclaimer: This is for the 26 year old by That Boutique-y Whisky Company. The nose brings both sweet and floral notes of honeysuckle, freshly cut grass and light fruit. The palate brings a picnic of honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon, and corn syrup. The finish is a nice medium mouth coat of mint, white pepper, a little salt, and lavender. This is quite a tasty dram and the theme of it will be “Flight of the Bumblebee”. A solid 4.0. Thanks so much for the sample from a friend!!

Tastes like red fruit, plum, and banana, with a touch of sweetness and a whisper of smoke at the finish.