Balblair 1975

Balblair recently changed from Vintages back to malts with age statements. Today, I will try an older release, from 2007, with a Balblair distilled in 1975, making it a 31 or 32 years old. That explains the price tag of around 450 EUR, but you’ll be hard pressed to still find a bottle.

Bittersweet nose with lots of herbal touches. Like I’m in an abandoned flower shop a week after the outbreak of the Corona virus, where the wilted bouquets urgently need to be thrown out into the dumpster. This off-note lingers annoyingly long in my glass (and no, it’s not the glass, I know this for a fact). After a lot of patience I get cigars, cherries, Seville oranges, leather and Coca-Cola candy.

The body is something between watery and oily. Luckily it’s all about sweetness and spices without any off-notes. Tobacco, black berries, peach, mocha, apple cake, raisins, liquorice and nutmeg. Just a tad to much tannins in my book, making it somewhat bitter.

The finish is medium long, very spicy and after a very sweet start on rhubarb and peach, it turns bitter and dry on oak, pepper and nutmeg.

I had high expectations of this one, but I feel it has been left in the cask for way too long.

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