After a long break due to a new house purchase and move coupled with a very long (and a very deserving!) summer vacation it’s time to resume normal activity here.
I was lucky enough to have a summer vacation in London with a wee getaway to Scotland and in those four days I managed to cross off a few more distilleries from my to-visit list.
The first distillery on this trip was Balblair, a distillery I like a lot for producing good, bodily and well done whisky but the day didn’t pan out as planned.
At first, the sleeper train to Inverness was late, but we had a marvelous view from the train.
The view from the train was breathtaking!
And then extra bureaucracy at the car rental agency and so we were way behind schedule and very late to the booked tour at Balblair. Luckily, with some aid from Waze and few more new white strands on my head, we got to Balblair.
Still late but just in time for the initial gathering with John Mcdonald the distillery manager. (Of course I went for The Manager’s Tour. Ain’t doing it half heartedly 🙂 ) But as soon as we started, we went outside as it was a beautiful, sunny and crisp day outside (all the locals marveled at it all week long as it wasn’t a too common occurrence this summer).
Nose: feels youngish on the nose but it may be just the heavy cream and vanilla that confuses me (american oak sherry butts anyone?). Lots of toffee with lots of Werther’s original and dose of milk chocolate. Very smooth and rounded nose despite the big ABV. The sherry casks do impact the spirit but the dried fruits, sultanas and sherry spices are at the background playing 2nd violin here. With water – the chocolate notes are boosted to “chocolate with nuts” level.
Nose: Light peat at first and then mostly sweetness, vanilla, malt!! Hint of honey, slight dried fruits, overall very restrained pointing at high ABV. After a while sweetness is stronger and there are some tannins and it becomes more Oloroso. A bit of cloves and nutmeg and light sweet peat at the background. With water: less sherry, much more honey but still with a nice dose of nutmeg. Feels young and fierce even after a few drops of water. 
Nose: Young, malty with new make edge at first, creamy, green vegetables and grassy, honey and lactic, becoming less grassy with time, more honey and then lots of vanilla (virgin oak or not?). Very soft and gentle (very G&M), very creamy and malty, some hints of citrus fragrance and after a few minutes sweet peat.
Nose: Soft nose with very G&M like profile. There are nuts and lots of spices with ginger and white pepper leading the pack, soft oak wood, vanilla cream, wispy smoke and sharp menthol. I let it rest in the glass for a few minutes and got chocolate, sherry spices, bit of dried fruits, tangerines and oranges peels fragrance.
Nose: Sherry goodness with dried fruits, raisins, prunes and plums. It’s a settled and elegant nose, lots of sweetness with demerara sugar and chocolate that strengthen over time. There is also a lot of cooked nutmeg and overall it’s a real treat on the nose.
Nose: Intense with lots of peat, ashes, smoke and to lesser degree iodine/TCP. Lurking right behind the corner are the fruity notes, saucy smoked meat and some touch of vanilla. Also playing: machines diesel oil, oak wood. With time it’s meatier and fruitier with more honey. With a few drops of water there’s also white pepper and touch of oak 
Whisky Gospel 