The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Richard Thomas
Rating: A-
Whether it be blended whiskies or single malts, the typical Scotch line with age statements follows a predictable ladder pattern, and so it is with Balblair’s revamped range. The entry-level rung is 12 years old, and the middle premium rung is a 15 year old. So, by the time one reaches 18 years old, the range is in it’s upper premium territory; the 20-something year old entry is super premium and verging or just entering ultra-aged.
Balblair 18 Year Old saw primary maturation in ex-bourbon barrels (like the overwhelming majority of all Scotch whiskies; the only question is how many times that old bourbon barrel got used!), then got a stint of secondary maturation in first-fill Spanish oak butts. The malt was bottled at 46% ABV, fairly strong for a Scotch whisky, which often range between 40 and 46%.
The Scotch
I found my pour of Balblair 18 to have a dulled look to it, rather dark and murky for a single malt. The coloring straddled gold and copper. The scent coming up out of my Glencairn smacked of toffee and canned pears, with notes of cut and dried grass and old leather. The silky liquid tastes of toffee again, with the stone fruitiness developing out into pears and apricots. This is subsumed by a wave of spice, one that carries over into the finish and runs off down the block.
The Price
This item carries a pretty hefty price tag: $210 in the US and £120 in the UK.
