2017 marked the 200th anniversary of Bladnoch. The southernmost distillery in Scotland, it was once known as “Queen of the Lowlands.” Living in the shadow of regional brethren Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie, it has closed several times due to a variety of circumstances. The current owner, David Prior, is the first Australian to own a Scottish whisky distillery. The latest relaunch in 2016 was aided by legendary Master Blender Ian MacMillan, which means this bottle of Bladnoch 12 contains product from an earlier period in the distillery’s storied history. This whisky comes with either the distillery on the label or a sheep (like ours).
Distillery: Bladnoch
Region: Lowland
Age: 12 years
Strength: 55%
Price: $86.66
Location: Wigtown
Barrel: Sherry Butt No. 282; distilled 11/16/2001; bottled 3/4/2014
Nose: Peat, caramel, butterscotch, leaf mulch, raspberry jam
Palate: Pear, maple, butterscotch, sherry, smoke
Finish: Apple, peat, sherry
Comments: This bottle was found on a dusty store shelf while traveling in Belgium.
Adam – The Bladnoch 12 is a unique creature. This mixture of barley and cask, coupled with an older style of malt making than exists broadly nowadays, delivers marvels. Time rewards here, for letting the scotch sit in your glass for a time allows the spirit to open up in grand style. Peat and butterscotch slowly unravel into the deep fruit nose of the sherry cask reminiscent of jam, the peat more of an accent supporting a berry and caramel cavalcade. The palate begins with prominent fruit, pear transitioning to green apple, escorted by a butterscotch flavor that, if you let it sit, allows a gentle peat to come to the fore with maple underlay before dissolving into a finish of peat and a brief tinge of sherry. The mouthfeel is not thick but oily enough to allow you to coat your tongue. Water can help take off the edge if needed but severely mutes the nose. Use only a few drops if you must. The impact to the palate is not as drastic but, if you can acclimate to the high strength, I find the unaltered version the most appealing. You do not drink a scotch like this, you undress it with your tongue. I’m saddened that nothing from this distillery is sold in the US. I’m saddened they don’t make this particular scotch anymore at all. Most of all, I’m saddened that the current bottle is almost empty!
Jenny – Something that blossoms on my tongue, it spreads even in the back of my mouth and my throat. It’s just warm and smoky and a nice winter scotch.
You do not drink a scotch like this, you undress it.
Meghan – It is always a gamble when buying a scotch that not only you haven’t tasted, but also one you haven’t heard of before. This time, the odds were in our favor. Now, I should give myself a little credit since I have enough whisky experience to guess what flavors a slightly-peated, cask strength whisky aged in sherry butts should offer. However, the base whisky could have been vile. But it’s not. It is rich and fruity without being too sweet. The peat balances the sherry so there is no cloying or sour aftertaste. I am not always a sherry cask fan as I find something on the back palate unpleasant. However, the smaller barrels of the Bladnoch actually make it a better sherried whisky for me. Instead of detecting the sherry only on the nose and finish, I find a beautiful roundness of sherry flavor throughout the entire dram. It’s a deep fruit flavor in the background that enhances everything else without distracting. Like a beautifully designed stage set that provides support and substance to the actors. The Bladnoch 12 can handle a little water but at 55% it doesn’t need it. It’s warm, not hot, and that warmth goes perfectly with the butterscotchy smoke, moldering peat, and deep fruit sherry.
Michael – The experience for me is like the dessert at the end of a meal. One that isn’t overly sweet, but a subtle thing of reduced sweetness with some salt.
Mary-Fred – It’s an apple orchard to it. A little bit of fruit sweet. There’s a rush on the taste. It huts all parts of the tongue in their own way. There’s a little bit of peat and smoke but it doesn’t dominate. It’s an undertone. There’s an autumn apple orchard with some sunshine and grass. It’s like the depths of the earth, maybe with a bonfire in the background.
Peter – I like the burn, right on the tongue. It’s nice. I feel very content drinking this Bladnoch 12.
Ben – It’s a little hard to filter through because all the flavors are happening at once. A sweet spot on the middle of my tongue with some spice dancing around it. Apples and pears on the nose.
