Blair Athol 11 year Hand-Filled Distillery Exclusive Batch 2023/006

Blair Athol Distillery, Thursday, April 25th 2024. Whisky #7 Nose: Peppermint, fleetingly, then a host of red berries, stewed plums, rose water, pineapple, malt extract, vanilla, orange liqueur and a hint of weak black tea. With water the fruit aromas enlarge. Palate: Big arrival. Huge. Sweet, rich, creamy and full-bodied but it’s plush, soft, relaxing and not at all dark or heavy. The cereal, malt and light red fruits are front-and-centre and it is very satisfying with excellent texture. Finish: Medium/Long. Cereal and lingering sweet red berries. Blair Athol distillery always has a cask in the visitor centre from which you can hand fill a bottle, and the expression changes periodically. This particular cask was broached in 2023 and it is an absolute belter. It’s rich, sweet, fruity and sumptuous and is like liquid Turkish delight. That might sound horrible (and unlike the sort of thing I normally enjoy) but trust me, this is one of the best red wine cask maturations I’ve tasted. It has a nose and palate akin to a dessert wine, but the texture and character are overall more like a light bourbon-matured whisky with a cereal profile. It's closer to a wine-finished Arran than a typical Blair Athol and I loved it. It’s an excellent balancing act and I have no idea how they got away with it. There is also no need to dilute this whisky as the 55.9% abv is so well contained you don’t even notice the strength. A sample was provided as part of the distillery tour and I bought another pour in their bar afterwards to dissect at leisure. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)