This old Balblair was bottled in 2004, long before the distillery started releasing their so-called vintages. This one came from refill sherry butts. It is the oldest Balblair I have tried to date, produced before I landed upon this planet, which is always a bit of a treat.
Ha! At this age, you would think that the nose would show loads of wood, but this Balblair proves otherwise. It is very creamy and fruity, without any sign of oak. Apple sauce, pear syrup, crème brûlée, mint, chocolate and some walnuts. Boy, oh boy, this is maginificent!
It does have a rather light body, but the palate immediately offers the same fruit (apples, pears, this time the stewed version) and good spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger), upholstered with gingerbread with almond paste filling and quite a bit of honey. Only midpalate the wood finally starts to speak. Whisper, more like. This is well balanced. Adding water would be silly, so I did not.
The finish is medium long on sweet honey and spices.
Old is not synonymous with good, but in this case, both adjectives apply. This is a Balblair Superdram. Thanks, Kris!
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