Balblair is well-known for its old whiskies – it tends to sell only a few vintages, dating back quite some time (the oldest on their website being the 1965 vintage – a snip at £1260…). So I ordered a sample of the 1978 vintage through Master of Malt to see what the fuss was about.
Colour: remarkably light and straw-like for a whisky that’s been sitting in wood all that time. On the nose: it pretty much comes in two waves. There’s the surface vanilla and honey notes, then a load more fruits, pineapple juice. A creamy, buttery, blood orange.
In the mouth: superb balance, a mixture of deep sweetness and possibly peaty smoke and spice. Oaky and with a lot of bourbon affecting the character. Quite understated… and potentially quite dull, for what it is. All these flavours – they’re nothing outstanding. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, it’s mature, it’s got a lot of class about it. Ticks all the right boxes – Bells, it ain’t.
But at over £130 a bottle?
I’ve had significantly younger whiskies that have been more interesting and characterful. You could easily spend that money on some much more sophisticated whiskies. Stick to getting a sample, like I did.
