Balblair 1999 2nd Release

It won't be long until we'll all be longing for the days before the marketing department ruined Balblair. These vintage statements as a brand staple were truly awesome and really set Balblair apart, sadly we'll now be getting boring age statements and the premium value in the brand will fade a touch. Nose - light honey, vanilla, pepper, baking spice, and light citrus. Taste - Plenty of vanilla, butter, spicy (european oak is shinning on this area), and apples. Just a really nice complex whisky but I get a nice oily and buttery note that kinda brings it all together instead of leaving the flavors dancing around. This was my first Balblair and it has had me seeking out more expressions. Sadly I've only been able to source younger ones without the sherry casks. I really like this one and I'm deeply saddens to see the brand leaving their roots in the pursuit to raise prices through marketing tactics.

Delightful, sweet, yet strong finish. An extremely unique taste with an almost dessert like aftertaste of vanilla and honey. Highly recommend.

Mkt trevlig len. Sherry frukt honung. Ingen rök eller peat. Ingen salt.

Starts out a bit shy, with classic soft green apple and brown sugar on the nose with stewed fruits and vanilla on the palate. After a while, the palate gets spiky-er and more complex, with brighter berries coming through. 89/100

I've had quite a few Balblairs and found they were all solid if unspectacular. This dram is definitely a step above those though. Perfect balance, beautiful vanilla and as @Scott_E noted tea notes (thanks Scott I'm generally crap at putting a name to any unique flavours I taste). Mild spice and apricots, creme brulee, sultanas, gingerbread. Numm, numm. It's impressive as this isn't a style that usually makes an impact. Maybe its because of poor effort in the form of comparison the Glencadam 25 I had before it but I agree with Scott E on rating as well. 4 at least out of the gate. No make it a 4.25...it gets better and better as the dram progresses. Finally an excellent Balblair!