Blair Athol 29 year (1995/2024) Hand-Drawn Warehouse Tasting

Blair Athol Distillery, Thursday, April 25th 2024. Whisky #5 Nose: Oloroso sherry, old waxed furniture, dried fruits, Christmas cake. When diluted there are softer sherry and stone-fruit aromas plus sandalwood, cedarwood, and orange juice. Palate: Dry, spicy-sweet arrival. Christmas pudding mashed together with barrel staves. Orange oil, an immense wood character with tingling tannins. When watered the palate relaxes dramatically, becoming soft, velvety, creamy, and full of orange and red grape flavors. Finish: Long. Oak, dried fruits, and sherry. Slightly shorter when diluted, but the reduced finish purrs on the tongue like a contented cat. A massive whisky that was hand-drawn from a warehouse sherry butt as an exclusive for the tasting tour. It was 29 years old, the strength was unknown but probably in the mid-high 50% range, and when slightly watered it became cloudy until it was almost opaque. Magnificent, and unquestionably the best Blair Athol expression I've ever tasted. “Exquisite”: 89/100 (4.75)