Last year, at the end of October, I was in the northern Highlands with my father-in-law and two brothers-in-law. We finally got around to our whisky trip that we had been planning for years. Something about each of us tag-teaming with having kids for a decade and a bit.

We visited Old Pulteney, Clynelish and Balblair distilleries. Two of those were really fun to visit, one not so much. Balblair was pretty fun, with a good tour and a good tasting. Also, it’s just a beautiful distillery, in a beautiful setting.

Of course, we did pick up some distillery only bottlings and I came home with way too much whisky. No surprise there, but it was a bit more than planned for. Luckily, there are bottle-shares. This one got emptied last week, and that also meant it was high time for tasting notes!

Sniff:
Sawdust and white pepper. It’s quite fiery from the start. Dusty, floury barley notes, and a hint of green apple crispness. Some pear skins too. It gets a bit richer and warmer with some time. Hints of vanilla and puff pastry pop up.

Sip:
The high alcohol is quite noticeable, and there is a lot of white pepper heat, on top of the bone dry sawdust. Hints of pear and green apple for a little bit of sweetness. The sawdust moves toward oak planks and seasoned casks a bit.

Swallow:
The finish starts biting a bit more initially, before settling down. When settling down the green apple and pear pop up again, accompanied by a note of cinnamon and demerara sugar.

So, yeah this is a spicy one. You have to not be afraid of a bit of heat and pepper, on top of it being a really solid Balblair. It is highly unsuited for a dram to start the evening with, but it’s a very good one for later in a tasting. None of the scents and flavors trump the others, which means it’s quite balanced after your palate has gotten used to the bite.

88/100