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Dwelling
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| Hello, that is one among our (nearly) each day tastings. Santé! |
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Mars 7, 2022
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Blair Athol, relatively abundantly
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Pitlochry is not only a vacationer nest, it is also the house of two beautiful distilleries, Edradour and, certainly, Blair Athol. One among them makes a fairly fats and ample distillate, the opposite one being extra right into a lighter, simpler type. However as all the time with malt whisky, there are a lot of exceptions. Let’s have a look at if we’ll encounter a few of these…
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Blair Athol 12 yo 2008/2020 (46%, DS Tayman, wine cask) 
This one was completed in an Israeli wine cask. I consider it’s the first time we’re making an attempt something by the home DS Tayman. Color: straw. Nostril: a humorous one, filled with Haribo’s finest and strawberry Jell-O, whereas some rougher maltiness would attempt to withstand and maintain this drink malty within the background. Mouth: a troublesome one, relatively within the type of some early finishings in crimson wine as they was once carried out twenty-five years in the past. Actually feels flavoured, with cassis buds, extra strawberries, and a few inexperienced tannicity, presumably from the wine cask. It isn’t that it’s horrible, it is simply that it actually feels ‘flavoured’. End: medium, on pepper and strawberries. In concept, that works, however in observe… Feedback: unsure the gentler Blair Athol had a lot to say right here. Now, some features will please just a few adventurous aficionados.
SGP:761 – 69 factors. |
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One other 12 that is been a tad… bolstered let’s assume…
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Blair Athol 12 yo 2009/2021 (50%, Claxton’s Exploration Collection, Oloroso Sherry Quarter Cask) 
They’d have a tendency to make use of that time period for 1/4 of a butt’s measurement, however we have seen 50l quarter casks too (quarter of a barrel). Color: gold. Nostril: walnuts taking part in first fiddle, then whiffs of dunnage, mud, outdated wine barrel certainly, and root greens. Celeriac. Not a straightforward one to explain. With water: goes in direction of mashed greens, mashed peas maybe, potatoes, houmous and humus (proper)… Mouth (neat): dry, a tad bitter, on walnut pores and skin and a few leather-based. Notes of dates within the background that might add some sweetness. Some pepper and cinnamon too. With water: will get greener. These peppery root greens and people inexperienced walnuts. Not a straightforward one. End: medium, leafy, leathery. Some marmalade within the aftertaste. Feedback: one however I am discovering it a bit austere.
SGP:361 – 78 factors |
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For as soon as, that is beginning slowly… Please one other 12…
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Blair Athol 12 yo 2008/2021 (55.7%, James Eadie, Amontillado cask end, export unique, cask # 354548, 341 bottles) 
Love the ‘export unique’ point out, that reeks of the great outdated days. They may have added ‘export high quality’. Keep in mind, mainly, amontillado is a wine that began as a fino, so below flor, and that grew to become an oloroso, so oxidative. Color: gold. Nostril: nice enjoyable. Smoked walnuts and mustard, cigars, eucalyptus, bitter chocolate, cannabis and outdated embrocations. Vaporub. With water: geared in direction of breads. Mouth (neat): superior, with a curious however wonderful bubblegum + walnuts combo. What did not fairly work within the earlier ones is working a deal with right here. Additionally citron liqueur, all the time a winner at WF Towers. With water: some candy spices plus bergamots and kumquats. Inexperienced peppercorn. End: lengthy, with a good, citrusy, zesty spiciness. You could possibly drink this with Pad Thai. Contact of mint within the aftertaste. Feedback: very intelligent composition, with a real Jerezian feeling.
SGP:461 – 86 factors |
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Nicely, they did Marsala too…
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Blair Athol 13 yo 2007/2021 (58.2%, James Eadie, Marsala cask end, UK unique, cask # 3887, 314 bottles)
A UK unique this time! Marsala is nice, it is simply that we would like to know in regards to the type of Marsala they’ve used, as there are actually dozens of them. White, crimson, seco, amabile, soleras… They even have Nero d’Avola. Color: gold. Nostril: I do not know if that is as a result of Marsala is Italian, however what I first get is simply an enormous recent panettone. Whereas it is to be stated that I’m the Chairman of the Alsatian Panettone Membership (fairly). Great raisins, orange blossom, candy doughs… With water: breads and muffins, scones, muffins… Mouth (neat): wonderful, relatively tight, only a tad stuffy at first however that is due to the excessive energy. Panettone and focaccia plus some type of allspice combo. Let’s have a look at… With water: raisins kicking in. I suppose it was candy Marsala. However do not drown it, it’s not an awesome swimmer and would turn out to be a bit too tea-ish. End: lengthy, caky. Feedback: on second thought, I feel I favored the amontillado a tad higher. A matter of style, each being technically excellent.
SGP:451 – 85 factors |
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Maybe attempt one which was made as Mom Nature meant…
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Blair Athol 11 yo 2010/2021 (58.1%, Finest Dram, refill hogshead, cask #300303, 298 bottles)
Ah, outdated refill hogshead… Color: gold. Nostril: beautiful, with patchouli and pot-pourri at first, then teak oil, pinewood, cedar and bitter almonds. Was that quick sufficient? With water: very near some C/S officers that we may attempt on the Distillery. Vanilla and barley, with whiffs of shoe polish and metallic polish. Jogs my memory of when my pricey grandma was sprucing the silver, which she would do every yr. Cheers, Marie. Mouth (neat): some spicy oak at first (cinnamon and nutmeg), then gentle sriracha and satay. This one’s clearly from the east of Scotland relatively than from the midst of Perthshire. Ha. With water: superb, barley-y certainly, with some maple syrup and sweetened tea. Certainly, some persons are including sugar to their tea. Some sultanas. End: medium, relatively on orange muffins. I am afraid we’ll have to say panettone once more. Feedback: tremendous extra-good. Additional-point for the polishes.
SGP:551 – 86 factors |
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Blair Athol 9 yo (58.4%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #68.42, ‘Cosy and Toasty’, 28 Queen Road Unique, 286 bottles, 2020)
Toasts, however in fact. Color: gold. Nostril: chalk and croissants, that is what I am getting at full energy. A contact of wooden varnish, maybe. With water: some butter cream coming by way of. Some hay too, which I discover very ‘Blair Athol’. Harking back to these outdated official bottles, you’ll have had Dufftown (crimson label) and Blair Athol (blue label). Does that ring a bell? Mouth (neat): superb younger candy barley-y and cake-y malt, with some orange and bananas jam within the background. Easy pleasures, bottled. With water: wonderful. Apple cake, orange cake, banana cake, toasts if we should… End: medium, type of oily, on these numerous muffins. Which, I insist, may be very Blair Athol. Feedback: thumbs up!
SGP:541 – 85 factors |
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Blair Athol 13 yo 2008/2021 (53.8%, Fable Whisky, Chapter Six, The Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay, Crows, hogshead, cask #300529, 290 bottles)
Ha, literature, not all the time straightforward to observe. Color: pale white wine. Nostril: gooseberries and stewed rhubarb. We’re near the make this time. With water: oh these doughs. Mouth (neat): beautiful apricot eau-de-vie and mirabelle. Beautiful certainly but it surely’s to be questioned if this one didn’t age in amphoras or in these massive sandstone jars that some are utilizing (which might be an awesome concept by the way in which, with all due respect to the SWA). With water: superb complexity, many stone fruits, eaux-de-vie certainly, oils, seeds… End: medium, maybe a bit austere at this level. Chlorophyll. Feedback: some wooden’s been used, clearly, however it’s undetectable. Gorgeous work right here, I’d say this one’s actually been aged by time, and that no bushes had been harmed. Would not this relatively be the whisky of the long run? Make whisky with out bushes?
SGP:551 – 87 factors |
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Blair Athol 12 yo 2009/2021 (55.8%, Fable Whisky, Chapter Six, The Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay, Crows, hogshead, cask #304771, 301 bottles) 
I am going to say it once more, these labels are gorgeous. We’re removed from the very loud poppish ones which you could solely actually take a look at whereas carrying sun shades. Color: amber gold. Nostril: precisely the alternative. Thick oils and polishes, jams and jellies, crystallised fruits (particularly quince), kumquats and well-made rum. I’d point out Foursquare. With water: acetone and walnuts! Mouth (neat): oh! Wooden oils, heavy teas, pu-ehr, cedarwood, pencil shavings (wooden and lead), then heavy fino sherry, vin jaune, mustard, walnuts… This has each side of sorcery. With water: extraordinary, if a bit concoctiony. Gentian popping out, that is relatively not a foul signal. End: lengthy, leafy, wit even a contact of salt Manzanilla. Was it a sherry hogshead? A bit of aniseed and liquorice within the aftertaste. Feedback: was some A.I. concerned? Aliens? Ghosts certainly? You say this was twelve-year-old Blair Athol?
SGP:562 – 90 factors |
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What a collection certainly. To be trustworthy I have not fairly checked ‘who’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ but (bear in mind I stay an newbie), however that is getting actually intriguing… Good, a final Blair Athol – let’s make it a French one!
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Blair Athol 13 yo 2007/2020 (46%, Whisky Lodge, Orcines, cask #435)
This by our mates in Lyons, capital metropolis of the Gauls. A metropolis irrigated by three main rivers as they are saying after just a few glasses, the Rhône, the Saône, and Beaujolais. And now a fourth one, whisky… Color: pale white wine. Nostril: these Orcines are sometimes relatively crystalline, that is simply one other instance. Pure barley spirit, with apple juice, pear juice, barley syrup and a minimal contact of vanilla. Plus vine peach juice, I’d add. Mouth: surprising saltiness, in any other case extra apple, pear and peach juices. Millimetric, extraordinarily barley-y. End: unexpectedly lengthy, extra on doughs, mint, liquorice and breads. A drop of pastis within the aftertaste, it is true that Marseille is just not too far-off. I imply, whenever you test a map of France from Alsace. Feedback: I bear in mind the proprietor of the Whisky Lodge and yours actually have been Keeperised at the exact same second. A ta santé, nice drop!
SGP:651 – 86 factors |
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That is 9 BAs, that is sufficient. Cheers and tempo. Maintain on, there’s extra…
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Blair Athol 20 yo 1995/2016 (50%, Hunter Laing, Outdated Malt Cask, sherry butt, cask # #HL 12149, 597 bottles) 
Color: full gold. Nostril: these older ones had been nuttier, earthier, I’d even add ‘smokier’. Some natural cordials too, amer bière, Fernet-Branca, Wulong… With water: extraordinary combo, with roasted peanuts, roasted raisins, and simply satay. I would kill just a few racists for satay (in fact not, I realise that was silly, officer). However wow, raisins and peanut butter, utter sin. Mouth (neat): completely wonderful, very nutty, tobacco-y, meaty, with cigars and loopy coffees. Ethiopians. With water: some bitter candy wines, Banyuls, some mead… This half is a bit more unsure. End: medium, meatier. Marrow soup and smoked ham. Hen stewed in beer, with raisins! Feedback: it is all the time unbelievable whenever you change class, after a bunch of younger ones, nevertheless good these had been..
SGP:552 – 88 factors |
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That is ten, however I suppose we may have a really final one by HL…
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Blair Athol 20 yo 1995/2016 (57.1%, Hunter Laing, Outdated Malt Cask, European Sherry Butt, cask #HL 12537) 
Why they’ve added Boris to the label, I do not fairly know, he wasn’t even Premier but when this was bottled, was he? . No politics in whisky, that is one among our mottos! Color: amber. Nostril: some pure praline, peanut butter certainly, glazed chestnut brittle, sesame oil and a few type of earthy thickish ale. Once I retire, I am going to find out about beer. With water: scoria, coal, walnuts, mustard, earth, fern, compost… Mouth (neat): big, terrifying, pungent, uncooked. The grittiest, spiciest facet of sherry. Enormous inexperienced walnuts a.okay.a. monster walnuts. With water: very aggressive, inexperienced, you may nearly consider it was Caol Ila from a sadistic cask. End: very lengthy, peppery, salty, actually unusual. Salted raisins. Feedback: we have tried some fairly large BAs, however this one takes the biscuit. Boy is it powerful! Which might clarify why they might have added Boris to the label. Appears like we have come full circle.
SGP:362 – 84 factors |
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A session that went to eleven. It has been a bit exhausting, to be trustworthy, Blair Athol being neither Clynelish, nor Springbank. However we made it and I thanks in your ongoing assist. CU, tempo, salute and nazdrovie.
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