Bonailie

N: Very sweet. This speaks of a floral honey with a sugary ‘texture’ that reminds me of old fudge that has started to recrystallise brown sugar. The underlying malt is of a wet cereal nature that almost gets to an off-putting vegetal feel. P: Slightly thin, but also slightly creamy. The palate is dominated by a sweet watered down apple juice. A little coconut trending towards very sweet vanilla, a generic tea biscuit represents the malt. A generic touch of spice notes. F: Short. A thin apple-biscuit with candied ginger fading to a slightly grainy texture. The nose is uncomplicated, but not necessarily in a bad way. The direct simplicity of sweetness does allow a pleasant floral touch to come out, but perhaps not excusing the nearly off-putting vegetal element to the malt. The palate and finish offer no depth but thats not the worst thing for a AUD$44.95 every day shelf position. I’m not a huge fan of excessively sweet malts when there is a lack of other elements but this is just fine. No tough edges and only the slightest complaint from the nose. At this price point, I’d take it over JW Red label, but would pass it over for Monkeys Shoulder which offers a little more savoury heft. Kindest of thanks to the Oracle @cascode for another generously shared dram. Distiller whisky taste #238 [Pictured here with a chalk from the Yorkshire coast of England. The white cliffs that this rock comes from are Cretaceous in age and represent a former shallow marine tropical epicontinental sea and the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates (coccoliths) shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores.]

Nose: Sweet malt, caramel, butterscotch. Palate: Sweet arrival on red apples, barley sugar, malt and cereal. It’s a straightforward palate but very pleasant and extremely easy to drink. The texture is good and has a pleasant creaminess. Finish: Medium/short. Floral/fruity and sweet trailing into a micro-dash of ginger syrup and a faint sheen of ash. Bonailie is a blended malt created by Bladnoch distillery. The component malts are not identified but I’d hazard a guess that there is some Bladnoch in here and maybe also something from the recently opened Glasgow Distillery. There’s also something about the profile that reminds me of Johnnie Walker so it would not surprise me if there is some foundation malt in here sourced from a Diageo workhorse distillery like Blair Athol, Benrinnes or Dailuaine. Hmm, maybe it's Cardhu - that would certainly mesh with other sweet malts. This is obviously being positioned against Naked Grouse and Monkey Shoulder, and to be honest I think it is the best of the three. However, some may find it too sweet and prefer the more neutral maltiness of Monkey Shoulder – fair enough. Perfectly acceptable as a daily sipper or in mixed drinks. It can take to ice without losing too much presence and it’s benign enough to take as a breakfast dram (although I prefer a smoky scotch in my morning black coffee). At the price it is good value, and a recommended buy in its niche. I'm surprised that this is the first review for it here as it has been out for a few months - maybe it is not distributed in North America? “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)