Bladnoch 17 Year California Red Wine Cask Finish

Wonderful nose and fruity experience without any disturbing alcohol taste although it is close to 47%.

This doesn't immediately hit me with that combination of balance, richness, and complexity that is characteristic of Bladnoch 15. It has some elements of I.W. Harper 15, Westward, Balcones American Single Malt, and Glenfiddich 14 - and they aren't wholly good elements. It has a richer, woodier version of the Harper cardboard flavor, with less vanilla. From Westward, it takes that young malt flavor, which is exacerbated when combined with the dryness and tartness of Balcones. Similarly, that dank malt flavor of Glenfiddich 14 comes in. On the long long finish, there's a pretty nice woody vanilla that isn't too heavy. Although the comparisons are not terribly flattering, I do like this scotch quite a bit. It just isn't on first taste the instant classic that the brand and price suggest. Some dryness comes from the red wine. It's fairly rich and fruity with some viscous mouthfeel and sweetness, but it isn't as delicious or complex as the Adela or Talia. It's interesting though and well-executed with a nice proof and rounded flavor. It's definitely richer than Oban Little Bay, though the sweetness of the Little Bay is appealing and it is not without complexity of its own. I'd call this a substantial improvement over Oban Little Bay, but not a tremendous improvement. There's some aged wood on the nose along with maltiness and some fruit from the wine that is like Oban Little Bay. There's a hint of spice (cinnamon on the nose too). It has that malty flavor mixed with some fruity sweetness from the wine. It's rich and tasty with a swirly malty flavor, but it never really settles on any flavor in particular. Plenty of vanilla comes out in the richness too, but there isn't a lot of sea spray or anything like that. There's a little smokiness that provides a nice balance, but doesn't overwhelm at all. It's more subdued than Westward, with more elements to it, it seems like Westward just picked a flavor and went for it (young though it may be) and this kind of messed up a beautiful 15 year old Scotch. It's very good, but I really expected better. The fruit is a bit strong and the other flavors don't bring in the complexities that I want them to. I guess it's comparable to Westward in terms of quality. It's too expensive for what it is, but I like to remember how good Bladnoch 15 Adela is when drinking it.

Welcoming change on the nose. The red wine is definitely really giving this whisky its character. There is grapes, raisins and a nice dry fruitiness. White chocolate. Butter. Warm molasses. Bitter orange. Generally really intense and full. But also really sharp on the nose already too. The palate hits your taste buds with a quite strong dry chili sensation at first. But after the initial sip it gets much more approachable. Spices yeah but now really flavorful ones. Ginger, Italian dry herbs, lavender (strange but yeah really). Bid of honey and even less vanilla. Not really sure how much of the red wine you actually get on the palate but together with the nose it is still very present and adds up to a nice combination experience. I must say while I’m not that much of a fan of the base whisky itself, the cask style I really liked and in my opinion it really adds to the dram experience.

Dramfest 2020. I think this is a spirit where having a slightly numb palate from numerous drams prior helps as the ethanol doesn't register as much but the flavour did.

Toffee, hint of vanilla, a bit more spicy

2020.03.10

Nose honey and vanilla, smooth sweet apple, chocolate. Odd after taste