Bladnoch Adela 15 Year

End of a long work day. Already had a headache from staring at a goddamn screen all day. It knew it was ill-advised, but I poured a dram of Glendronach 12 as my “unwind at the end of the day” scotch. The second I whiffed it, the sweetness literally sent a stabbing pain through my eye. Don’t speculate about medical conditions, I’m just saying that saccharine shit made my headache worse. I needed something dark and smooth like Quincy Jones, something higher proof, definitely not sweet. Something peppery and savory, oily and nutty. I knew what my head needed and it was this. Coarse ground peppercorns on the nose, a full mouthfeel and a punch of alcohol that’s somehow mellow and even-tempered. The finish was long and relaxing. It delivered everything I needed to prepare me to listen to my wife complain about the kids with an amused smile and to treat the little dickens with indulgence and a gentle hand.

My first Bladnoch, was this 15yo Adela, which is a pretty interesting dram, fairly good for a lowland whisky and complex enough to get a high score. Beautiful bottle and the promise of the flavors and aromas from the oloroso sherry casks. Bottled at 46.7%abv, tawny color. On the nose, very appealing. Chocolate milk powder; Amaretto, Nutty; Hanuta, Coconut, Liquorice, caramelized apple and cherries. After the first sip it gets much more floral and earthy. It has this sown land aroma, or a floral field. On the palate, it is better than the nose. That is not so usual. Cherries, a nice fruity spiciness; astringent. Red fruits and a strong Chili spice. Old winey raisins. Second sip reveals more vanilla and chocolate. Aftertaste keeps the same profile of the palate, with Chocolate, red fruits, and chilli notes. Bitter Tobacco and Earthy peat. Long salty finish. Overall this is a solid dram. I wasn't sure of what to expect, but the complexity of the flavors and the different layers you can find in it makes it an interesting spirit. I would have only a drink or two, because it is not my kind of whisky, since the chilli note is way too potent (but not unpleasant) and it feels like drinking the whole bottle would take years. 89 over 100 is a fair score for it.

A few drops of water unlock dates

I understand it’s not fair to have a lowland malt follow a really bold peated Islay malt at the end of the night. But I figured this one could hold its own. First of all this a pretty color for a naturally colored dram. And the bottle is among my favorites. The nose is dominated by sherry, as is the palate, but the slight burn reminds me it is a proud single malt scotch. The burn soon subsides and I taste a delicious sweet corn as opposed to the grassy notes one might expect from the lowlands. The finish is like a rich cigar with hints of roasted corn that has me asking sincerely, “Is this corn hand shucked?” Update: I dropped and broke my favorite scotch Laphroaig 10. So I tasted a little before I threw the bottle away then I finished this dram. Now I get cotton candy and funnel cake. Delicious!

Wow, what life and richness! Martinelli's and apricot are nested among almonds with a little coconut. There are some spices and the flavor is rich and delicious. This tastes like a premium Scotch with its delightful balance of flavors and couple of punches of excellent flavor. It may not be perfect, but it's hard to come up with something more successful. This is to Macallan 15 as Macallan 15 is to Green Spot. It's a stunning masterpiece from an unexpected place. It is less I -your-face than Macallan 15 is, but it is more balanced and rich. The flavors develop over the sip, increasing the complexity. It's tasty like Glenfarclas 25, but less dry. The spices add interest and tend a bit toward ginger, but this is not as dry as Glenfarclas 25. There are plenty of baking spices and the wood is prominent, making it taste and look at least 5 years older than it actually is and maybe even 10 years older. It's really quite a find. It's super good. It smells scotchy with a little bit of sweet red fruit and some nice almond bordering on marzipan. The nose also has some rich truffle. There's some initial harshness on the palate, but it quickly gives way to complex flavors. There are some of those mineral elements that often bring out gross bread, but not in a bad way. It's a bit harsher than expected, but the complexity is there and it is quite balanced. There are notes of cherry and almond that are quite nice. There's a nice balance here with quite a bit going on. Spice leaps out with some harshness. There are some smoky, seaside notes too and the barrel plays a big part in developing the backdrop. Almond comes in nicely, giving the flavor a richness. The sherried backdrop is quite tasty as well, though I'd like it a bit darker. There is leather, but it is far from overwhelming. The nose reminds me of Westward and the Bladnoch 17. It has some smoke and overripe fruit with some malt and sweet caramel with a little bit of wood. The palate is nicely woody with fruity sweetness and malty richness. Some hints of milk chocolate come in and there's a good balance of spiciness making it taste full and rich. There's so much flavor and complexity here. It sometimes doesn't all quite fit together beautifully, but it swirls in a decadent and interesting manner. If be delighted to sip this. There's a bit of butterscotch to the caramel, but I would have liked it to be more. There's some nice mild leather in with the smoke that blends with the tannins smoothly. Some raisins, dried figs, and dates all come out. I would have preferred a slightly different flavor profile, but it's complex and interesting with a solid richness (at least for its age). The fruitiness with the richness and the sweetness and balanced spice is really nice. This is truly an enjoyable scotch to drink.