Bladnoch Archives - Whisky a Day

Whisky #581: Bladnoch 2007 Cask Strength Created Exclusively for The Whisky Club

September 8, 2021 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Bladnoch 2007 Cask Strength Created Exclusively for The Whisky Club. Lowlands, Scotland. ABV: 54.8%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $135 (bottle).

Colour: Clear apple juice.

Nose: Vanilla sponge cake. Honey slathered on hot buttered fresh white toast. Dried apricots.

Palate: This whisky tastes like I’m going to need another one…Allen’s strawberries and cream lollies, fresh raspberry Danishes, croissants with strawberry jam and lashings of butter. Damn my sweet tooth!

Finish: Medium to long finish, the rich jam notes linger in the middle of your tongue whilst the warmth from the cask strength tingles dance around your mouth.

Comments: Distilled in 2007 and bottled 13 years later, this Bladnoch 2007 Cask Strength is delightful. Sourced from a combination of first-fill american oak ex-bourbon barrels and first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks, it is the latter’s influence that undoubtedly brought all those delicious jammy notes. Another outstanding release from Bladnoch.

Whisky #577: SMWS 50.108 Darkness of the edge of brown

July 20, 2021 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Whisky #577: SMWS 50.108 Darkness of the edge of brown. 28 year old single cask, cask strength SMWS bottling of Bladnoch Distillery. Lowlands, Scotland. ABV: 56.6%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $499 (bottle).

It’s been a while between drinks, but we’re back. FINALLY. I think we can all agree that the last 18 months has been (and continues to be) a rather unwelcome punch to the nuts. Covid has impacted us all in different ways, which is one of the reasons for my hiatus between reviews. Let’s get back into it!

Colour: Shimmering gold.

Nose: Moist lemon friand dusted with icing sugar. Maple bacon. Cigar boxes, saxophone reeds and dusty bookshelves. Time in the glass brings brown sugar melting atop a hot bowl of porridge.

Palate: Banana syrup, pineapple jubes. Honey drizzled on hot pan-fried halloumi.

Finish: The finish is so long and gentle, it’s actually got two finishes. Gentle black pepper and honey on the front of the palate for the initial finish; then a tangy, salty slightly woody twist for the second.

Comments: Absolutely sublime. This was 1 of only 95 bottles yielded from the single cask, so to have the privilege of enjoying such rare whisky is quite special.

It’s a very contemplative dram. I bought this special SMWS Bladnoch whisky last year as a present to myself to celebrate purchasing my first home. A month later, covid hit and like so many people I was out of a job. Farrrrrrk! Faced with a huge new mortgage and suddenly with no job during lockdown, I decided the only way forward was to grab life by the scruff of the neck. Within a week I had set up my own Human Factors consulting firm…and Distilled Consulting was born.

A bit over a year later, Distilled Consulting is going strong. Starting up a new business and making it through the first 12 months is always hard going – just ask any founder. To have started an exciting new Human Factors consultancy in the middle of a global pandemic and not just survived, but thrived – is something that I am incredibly proud of. Time for a well deserved Distilled beverage to celebrate!

Every sip of this whisky was not just a celebration of buying my own home, but it has reminded me of the struggle and satisfaction at overcoming adversity. It’s been a very special drop to me.

Whisky #557: Bladnoch Samsara Single Malt

September 20, 2019 by Whisky a Day 2 Comments

Bladnoch Samsara Single Malt. ABV: 46.7%. Lowlands, Scotland. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $98 (bottle).

Aaaaand we’re back! After a bit of a break, Whisky a Day is back and kicking the feet up this Friday afternoon with a delicious Bladnoch Samsara to start the weekend.

Colour: Polished gold.

Nose: Creamy; fresh baked lemon cakes or pastries, like you’ve just walked into a patisserie.

Palate: Honey, lavender and bubblegum. Soft oak and a touch of pepper.

Finish: Sweetness of stewed strawberries and raspberry-flavoured boiled lollies; balanced out by a savouriness of oak, juicy beef jerky and a hint of leather.

Comments: A beautifully balanced dram; a perfect opener for the weekend and/or an evening of making a serious dent into the whisky collection.

Whisky #522: Bladnoch Adela 15 Year Old Single Malt

March 1, 2018 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Bladnoch Adela 15 Year Old Single Malt. Lowlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.7%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $16 (50mL sample from Casa de Vinos).

Colour: Jaded copper.

Nose: Sweet hay, creamed cheese and a touch of honey. It’s an incredibly light nose.

Palate: A surprising pepper hit to start, then freshly toasted brown bread, and a slight crisp orange candy in dark chocolate kind of flavour.

Finish: Chilli spice and a tingle on the tip of the tongue to fade.

Comments: For a Lowlands malt, this was unexpectedly spicy. The more whiskies I try, the more I appreciate those producers that go against the grain in terms of supposed terrior or regional style, or indeed push the boundaries in terms of production and maturation methods. This isn’t your stereotypical Lowlands whisky and that’s absolutely fine by me.

Whisky #253 – Berry’s Bladnoch 19 Year Old 1992 Single Malt

September 29, 2014 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

by Berry’s Bladnoch 19 Year Old 1992 Single Malt. Lowlands, Scotland. 46%. Tasted at Lafayette, $22.

Colour: Very pale lemon.

Nose: Floral, quite delicate. Citrus notes too – not like the outside of an orange peel, but more like the smell after you’ve peeled an orange or mandarin and you’re just left with the white pith.

Palate: Quite a soft entry, but then quickly builds with a bit of heat and pepper.

Finish: Long finish. Gradually dries and contorts itself on the palate as it fades, revealing lemon and pepper.

Comments: Bottled in 2011, having been aged for 19 years. Surprisingly complex for a Lowlands whisky. It’s very light yet complex, some great stuff going on here.