Balmenach 2008 - Connoisseurs Choice (Gordon & MacPhail)

After a hang with some friends, came back home and poured myself a drink. A rarity for me midweek, but I have catching up to do on my samples. This provided by @PBMichiganWolverine. The nose is delivered an artificially sweetened cereal akin with Frosted Flakes with Vanilla and honey with a few dashes of bakers chocolate. A fruity side comes through given time with some orange and lemon zest and unripened apples. The palate, in a medium body, is initially spice, which can be attributed the the slight immaturity. Oak and almonds provide an earthiness. As you become acclimated, the sweetness surfaces. Confectionery sugar, honey, tea, oranges. Towards the finish, the initial earthiness rebounds, with some fresh ginger zing, and works it’s way into the finish. What is left is oak char, mint and sucrose with the palate slightly dry. This all lasts for a fair amount of time. Sugar and spice simply describes this dram. However, this balance is slightly off, like playing music is C-minor instead of C-major. A bit more time in the cask may straighten it out to eliminate the imperfections. All that said, it’s approachable and enjoyable. [85/100][Tasted: 6/27/18]

Here’s another obscure Speyside distillery that our group has acquired a sample from: Balmenach. This distillery was founded in 1824, making it one of the older one’s in Scotland. It’s currently owned by Inver House Distillers and produces about 2 million liters per year. There’s nothing much spectacular in its history, other than being passed around from several owners and being shuttered during the slow years in the mid-to-late 1990s. This particular offering is an 8 year old bottling from Gordon & MacPhail. It’s very light in color, almost the same hue as most peated Islays. It produces few legs and tiny beads around the glass when you spin it. It’s bottled at 46% ABV. The nose is very sweet- like buttery pound cake sweet. There’s honey and light chocolate, too. The youthful spirit and fresh oak are also present. The palate is sweet heat and honey. Milk chocolate swirls around while still maintaining a light and thin mouthfeel. It keeps this from becoming a sickly, dessert dram and makes the overall experience an enjoyable one. I wonder how this stuff is with some serious age on it or a first fill, finishing cask. The finish is short, too short actually. The chocolate notes hang around with oak tannins and heat from the ABV keeping you warm and toasty. This is a solid dram. Overall, it walks a thin line between an overly sweet dessert dram and a rich, Speyside sherry finished malt. It’s a solid 3.5-4 star dram. I think I’m gonna research a few older bottles and make another purchase- it’s good stuff. Thanks to my friend, Pranay for the sample. Cheers.

Wow, this one is something else. The nose brought a big ole blueberry pop tart, jasmine, white wine, confection, and citrusy oranges. Very well balanced so far. On the palate, I got a heaping load of custard, grapes, slight mint, cream and a small amount of mineral. It’s a medium mouth coat and finish, but dry with that ongoing metallic quality. I love the way we started, but not into where we went. The theme needs to be a metal surprise that’s a bit disturbing. I am thinking “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness. Thanks for the try there @PBMichiganWolverine. I give it a 2.5.

This was one of my contributions to our trading team for round 6. You gotta be in the mood for this...it’s sweet. I’m not a dessert fan at all...my dessert is usually just an espresso. To me, this came across like biting into cheesecake made with Splenda, not even real sugar. If you’re a dessert person, worth trying. If you like savory...keep away. ( @Generously_Paul —-thanks for adding this )

Stop number 88 on the SDT is Balmenach. Another Speyside distillery that is not in the mainstream world of whisky. This distillery changed ownership several times in its nearly 200 years of operation. It was mothballed in 1993 and reopened in 1997 when it was bought by its current owners at Inver House. This 8 year old (roughly) was distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2016 by Gordon and MacPhail as part of their Connoisseurs Choice lineup. Matured in a combination of refill sherry and refill bourbon casks, bottled at 46% and I believe it is non chill filtered and natural color of pale gold. The nose is rich and super sweet, very sugary. Concord grapes, raisins and blackberry jam on toast. A bit malty, honey and a candy-like sweetness. Dates, plums, faint mint, sweet vanilla and some sherry notes. Almonds/marzipan, blueberry donut filling, glazed donuts and buttercream frosting. Very confectionary. A quick hit of chocolate licorice, which if you’ve never had it, it’s a love it or hate it type of thing. Personally I love it and it reminds me of Saturday mornings with my Grandma. A little water tames the sherry and lets more of the bourbon notes come through. The palate is toasted oak, buttered toast with blackberry jam, very sweet. Almonds/marzipan and sticky sweet sherry. A bit of a waxy note and a not-quite-maple syrup. A hint of blueberry and glazed doughnuts, maybe even a little pecan pie. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is dry and a little sharp at times. The finish is medium length with soft oak, berries, sugary sweetness and a little waxiness. If you’re sweet tooth is calling, this will do the trick nicely. If you don’t like a sweet whisky, stay away. At 7-8 years old, this is not a bad scotch by any stretch of the imagination. It’s not very complex on the palate, but what it does have is very well defined. The nose is like being in a Polish bakery on Fat Tuesday and smelling all of those wonderful paczkis waiting to be claimed. Yes, a dessert dram at no mistake and would probably be good over vanilla ice cream. At $55 it’s very reasonable for the quality, but not so much for the age. If I saw this on a shelf I would buy it to indulge my sweet tooth. The lack of complexity does hurt the score a bit, but I can easily give this one a 3.75 or a 4 depending on the mood I’m in. Another thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. Just what I needed tonight. Cheers