Bladnoch distillery was founded in 1817 and, located along the River Bladnoch, is the most southerly distillery in Scotland. It is the fourth-oldest distillery in Scotland and, owned by Australian businessman David Prior starting in 2015, is the oldest independently owned one. The distillery produces for two brands; one the main Bladnoch brand and the other called Pure Scot. Their current master distiller is Dr. Nick Savage, and they have been producing whiskies from a mix of new and aged stock since the brand’s relaunch in 2017. The Bladnoch Vinaya is matured from a mix of first-fill bourbon casks and first-fill sherry casks. Vinaya is a Sanskrit word meaning respect and gratitude, and is meant as a warm acknowledgement to the distillery’s founders.
Distillery: Bladnoch
Region: Lowland
Age: NAS
Strength: 46.7%
Price: $47.99
Maturation: ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks
Location: Bladnoch
Nose: Wintergreen, peat, sweet corn, floral, melon
Palate: Peat, cumquats, wintergreen
Finish: Oak, pepper, ash, sour melon, orange pith
Comments: Not only does letting this dram breathe properly help open it up, but letting the bottle settle after the first couple of pours can do wonders for settling everything out. See what we thought of the Bladnoch 12 year.
Adam – It’s been a while since I’ve encountered any Lowland single malts, so the Vinaya seemed a good reentry point. There’s this lovely interplay between earthiness and sweetness on the nose, backed by a firm yet restrained backbone of astringency that keeps everything bright. Very pleasant. The palate is a little surprisingly and I’ll confess I didn’t care for it at first. Peat and wintergreen but also some kind of dash of fruit that I find very surprising but only for a minute before slightly sour melon brings me into the finish along with a brush of pepper. A light ash hangs around in your mouth, yet there’s also another factor that makes me salivate. Enough factors here to make me not like it on paper yet I find, especially on a warm summer day, that I do enjoy it. It feels slightly discombobulated, like it hasn’t quite figured itself out yet. I wonder if the younger whiskies in here are to blame for that and am curious about what a little more maturation will do with the brand. Still, a good start to the brand, especially for the price.
Henry – Gentle yet layered nose of honey, orange blossoms, and a hint of peat. Oak enters on the palate, leading to a very astringent and lingering finish with a touch of char. A rough heat appears in the front of the palate and builds through the finish.
Ben – It’s demanding I stay around in this barrel. There’s a sour melon sense at the finish. A citrus that you don’t expect to be bitter but it is.
There’s an earthiness in it I really like.
Bill – There’s an earthiness in it I really like. Not like an Islay but a rich peaty soil. There’s a bitterness almost like an overripe banana. A little oily, quickly cut by the astringency. The mouthfeel is pretty good even with the heat.
Evelyn – Definitely like the sherry my great aunt would have at 4pm every day. The Vinaya is complex and interesting.
Sam – There’s a sweet corn element on the nose. It’s almost like a medium strength cigar or pipe tobacco when you get it too hot on the finish.
Kim – The oak is strong in this one. I almost get a bitter orange pith taste to it with that astringent dry finish.
