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