Whisky Review: Bladnoch Lightly Peated 11 Year/2002 for K&L

This was one of three casks of Bladnoch that were bottled directly by the distillery for K&L Wines - the first OB Bladnochs available in the US. Sadly it was not long after they arrived that Bladnoch announced that it was going into receivership (bankruptcy) and that it will be sold off.

This whisky comes from malt that was peated to about 15 PPM (a touch above Springbank, but a bit below Talisker or Highland Park) that was distilled in 2002, aged in a single bourbon cask (#303) for 11 years, then bottled at 51.5% ABV without chill filtration or coloring.

For a different take on this whisky, see Sku's Recent Eats.

Thanks to MAO for a sample of this whisky.

Bladnoch Lightly Peated 11 Year/2002 for K&L

Nose: solid bourbon cask malt notes of fresh grain, rich caramel, light fruit/berry esters, raisins, grass/hay, light vanilla and woody spices, and something a bit floral, which are offset by new make with very light earthy/rubbery peat. After adding a few drops of water, the caramel, wood, and fruit/raisin notes integrate into a wonderful whole and the new make and peat retreating significantly.

Taste: soft and rounded malt sweetness throughout, fruit/berry/floral overtones that shift along the palate, sliding into green new make notes, dank peat, and mild bittersweet oak. After dilution, the palate becomes more barrel-influenced and balanced, with the fruit (raisin especially) and oak notes expanding as counterpoint to the malt sweetness, while the wood and peat integrate more harmoniously at the back (though this does lose something in terms of nuance), and a touch of barbecue pops out, though the new make notes do become stronger at the back.

Finish: bitter oak tannins and dirty peat, with a little bit of green malt sweetness

While still a bit immature, this shows a lot of promise. It combines a lot of the traits of a solid bourbon cask Lowland whisky with a touch of peat, which builds towards the back, leaving in a much dirtier fashion. Water pushes it more towards its Lowland roots, with the peat acting more as a spice than a distinguishable element. I feel like it would have been more enjoyable after enough time in the cask to burn off the new make character, but it's hard to know how much peat would be left after another handful of years in oak. At cask strength it has some heat, but is surprisingly tame most of the way through, likely due to having already lost a rather significant amount of alcohol in its 11 years (most whiskies of this age are >55% ABV).

For better or worse, this bottle is sold out, so you'll have to look for Europe if you want to find other lightly peated Bladnochs.

Whisky Review: Provenance Bladnoch 13 Year 1991/2004

I really enjoyed the G&M 1988/2002 Bladnoch I tried earlier this year. So I jumped on this bottle from McGibbon's Provenance line when I saw it for sale at Ultimate Wine Shop (it helped that they also had a bunch of madeira that I really wanted).

This whisky would have been distilled only a few years before Bladnoch was closed by DLC, the forerunner to today's behemoth Diageo, as 'surplus to requirements'. Though the distillery has since been revived by the Armstrong brothers, this was an opportunity to try a piece of whisky history.

Provenance Bladnoch 13 Year 1991/2004

Nose: ethereally fruity (blackberry), chocolate, a hint of vanilla, malt and grain (almost bourbon corn notes), light oak, rice, a little vegetal/herbal.

Taste: vague fruitiness, malty sweetness and bourbon grain notes up front, prickles of pepper and oak, thicker malt sweetness, a little vanilla, baking spices, something yeasty in the middle, chocolate at the back.

Finish: light oak, malt, chocolate, a little pepper, overripe fruit, a little vanilla

Early in the bottle I had a bad feeling that this whisky was betrayed by substandard casks - it had notes of cardboard that I associate with tired oak that don't have much left to give. This mucked up what would otherwise have been a pleasant, if unremarkable whisky.

However, after about six months of being open, the air had really helped it. The cardboard had disappeared, replaced by light but inoffensive oak, and the chocolate and fruit notes got a lot stronger, making it seem almost sherried. Much like the Tobermory 10 Year I had earlier this year, it seemed like it just took some slogging to get to the good parts. Again, I'm a bit torn about recommending this whisky - it's really nice now, but you have to be willing to either work your way through the less pleasant end of the bottle or wait for it to properly aerate after opening. The price tag is also a bit on the high side for its age, but there aren't a lot of options when it comes to Bladnoch in the United States. Your call.

Whisky Review: Gordon & MacPhail Bladnoch 13 Year 1988/2002

Bladnoch has a number of distinctions - southernmost whisky distillery in Scotland, one of three
remaining active Lowland distilleries, one of the smallest in terms of output (though this is due to contracts, rather than physical capacity) - that make it a very interesting place.

© Bladnoch Distillery

The distillery was founded in 1811 by the McClelland brothers and remained under family ownership until 1938. Its location a short hop across the North Channel from Ireland meant that it received a lot of influence from Irish whiskey distillers, with stints of ownership by the Royal Irish Distillers of Belfast. So it used to operate very much like an Irish distillery, using unpeated malt and triple distillation. The distillery closed during WWII and was revived by new owners at the end of the 1940s, only to suffer further sporadic closures and transfers of ownership.

The distillery was closed in 1993, seemingly for good, during one of DCL/Diageo's periodic rash of closures of their stock of malt whisky distilleries. However, the distillery was once again saved by the Irish, this time in the form of Raymond and Colin Armstrong, who purchased the shuttered distillery as a holiday home. Though their original contract stipulated that the property would never again be used for distilling, they were able to finagle a renegotiation that allowed them to start up distilling again in 2000. However, there was a clause that they would not produce more than 100,000 liters of spirit a year, despite the distillery cranking out 1.3 million liters a year during the 1980s.

One of the most interesting features of the distillery is their whisky school, which lets amateur's learn how to operate a distillery over the course of a few days. I really wish I could do this myself, though it does tend to be a bit on the pricey side. Even if I won't get to do more than take a tour, I'm really looking forward to visiting the distillery this summer during my tour of SW Scotland.

In an effort to get to know the distillery from afar, I trekked to the Highland Stillhouse to try an old bottling of their pre-closure whisky.

G&M Bladnoch 1988/2002 13 Year

Nose: rich honied malt, lightly fruity (berries, grape, banana, raisins), floral (roses, violets), vanilla, almost undetectable oak, bubblegum. After adding a few drops of water, a lot more vanilla comes out, the floral and malt notes merge, it becomes creamier, and the sherry influence is more clear.

Taste: honey vanilla malt and light sherry influence throughout, a burst of grape near the front, floral tangy oak with a lot of creaminess mid-palate, then big black pepper near the back. After dilution, the flavors become more integrated/less distinct, but the sherry becomes more apparent with a bit of sourness and strawberries at the back.

Finish: malty, milk chocolate, light oak, grape, black pepper, a touch of salt?

Despite being bottled at 40% and probably having sat open for years, this whisky was full of flavor. This is exactly what I want a Lowland whisky to be - fresh and malty, a bit fruity and floral, with just enough oak influence to keep it in balance. I could drink this for ages, but sadly one dram will have to do. I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more Bladnochs, if this one is any representation of what the distillery can do.