Balblair single malt scotch doesn’t believe in your age limitations

Balblair

 

Scotch is generally known by it’s age, though non-age-statement spirits are now becoming popular. Balblair bucks the trend by bottling all of their spirits based on vintage, not age. It’s a unique approach that allows for ever-changing scotch.

If you go through enough brands, you’ll likely find a scotch of nearly every age. Brands tend to stick to their core numbers though, whether it be Highland Park’s 12/15/18/21 etc. or Laphroaig’s 10/15/18/25 etc. This creates consistency and expectations for consumers but is obtained by blending various ages of the same spirit (not to be confused with a blended scotch). This means whisky might be left in a barrel longer than is necessary only to be brought back down to a certain number. Balblair addresses that issue by maintaining a complete disregard for age.

All of Balblair’s spirits are listed based on what year they were distilled rather than how old the scotch is. Each vintage is meant to be special and highlight the particular year it was made, much like identically wine crafted from one year to the next will taste different. The way Distillery Manager John MacDonald puts it, “our whisky tells us when it’s ready, and not the other way round.”

This method doesn’t mean that the numbers are consecutively rising throughout the years. Vintage 2001 was released in 2011; Vintage 1969 was released in 2012, and Vintage 1983 was released last year. As you can see, Balblair still covers the entire spectrum of ages, but they release them when they deem the spirit to be at it’s absolute best rather than when they’ve hit an age threshold.

Balblair

Of course all of this clever vintage bottling and marketing in moot if the liquid inside doesn’t stand up to the taste test. Fortunately for those of you who were excited by the Vintage concept, these Highland single malt scotches most certainly do. I’ve only tried a couple but they were both fantastic.

The 2001 vintage was my most recent endeavor, and it’s a brilliantly crafted spirit. It has the bright floral characteristics for which Balblair is known, and brings a wonderful apple/pear/apricot flavor to the mix. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels (sloppy seconds) which adds vanilla and toffee to the mix and rounds out the spirit perfectly. It’s lighter and crisper than many, which is a unique style that I tend to love.

Balblair costs anywhere from $55 for the 2001/2 vintages up to $2,300 for the Vintage 1969 mentioned earlier. For those still hesitant to jump on the vintage bandwagon rather than an age statement, the label also says when it was bottled. With a little mental math you can figure out the age of the spirit yourself.