DuckDrams

Balmenach 13yo (2004) Hunter Laing

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Experience ⚡

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The nose is moderately fruity, with pears, citrus (clementine), and coconut. Also fresh cream, a waft of cinnamon bark. There is a (white) winey, perfumy kind of character permeating the nosing experience. Powerful on the palate, with heavy and meaty mouthfeel, yet quite clean flavours: orchard fruits, cake icing, just a bit of smoked ham. The tiniest hint of mini-bottle defect, but not compromising. Some raw sugar and citrus in the finish, like an Ipanema.

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Thoughts 💡

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Very spirit driven malt, with some character and potency thanks to the heavy style. Definitely enjoyable, and quite well balanced with what it offers. But on the whole lacks the level of complexity and breadth that would make it truly memorable.

Great Quality ⭐

For reference, here are the bottler’s tasting notes: “Nose: full bodied with peaches, ginger bread, and almonds. Palate: ripe peaches topped and nutty flavours topped with white pepper. Finish: long with sweet & spicey notes leading to a dry mouth feel.”

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Balmenach 10yo (2012) Liquid Treasures

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Experience ⚡

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Heavily sherried nose, but rather unusual: there’s coffee, butter, dried cranberries, blueberries and… sweaty shoe sole. Not just “sort of” but very precisely so. Along these lines there is (not too intensely) rubber and burnt hair. Hints that we are in sulphur territory; but it is not conjuring up the rotten note that completely kills the experience for me. The palate rather confirms the nose. Moderately sweet, a little salty, definitely savoury, meaty and mouth filling. Tobacco notes, biltong, Greek syrup-drench pastry. The finish leaves me with the feeling of having had some Belgian Quadrupple and then smoked a cigar; fortunately not of having licked that shoe sole.

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Thoughts 💡

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I’m here confronted with a scoring dilemma. Are the sulphur notes simply off-notes or the source of interest and character? This will be completely and utterly a matter of taste; the intensity of these aromas is not overpowering, nor are they unignorable. The relative complexity and balance of tastes are the signs of a quality malt. For me personally, though, the shoe sole association, whilst interesting, has a bit too much negative connotation.

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Balmenach 10yo (2011) Gleann Mór

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Experience ⚡

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Vanilla, sponge cake, icing sugar. Citrus and little bit of pecorino cheese. Much more subtly, and after a dollop of water, geranium bushes, birch sap. Palate: feisty! I’d have guessed at 60%, but no. A new-makey, robust and honied flavour. Nothing betrays the marinated fruit fly…

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Thoughts 💡

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Nice, but a bit too feisty for my liking. Again, the heaviness of the spirit is there with all its potential, but it needs either more time or a different kind of cask to soar.
Great Quality ⭐

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Balmenach 18 (2003) Hunter Laing

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Experience ⚡

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A lovely orange note on the nose, highlighted by jasmin tea and the sweetness of sponge cake. Some oak wood, but the overall feeling is fresh and lively. On the palate, rather sweet and unctuous; the spirit is also quite meaty without being too phenolic. Water tames the alcohol well. Flavours of fruit “punsch”, oloroso sherry, and orange peel. A slight bitterness in the finish, along with sweet plums and dried mulberries.

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Thoughts 💡

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A very competent if not so complex sherried malt. I like the orange note very much, and the heaviness of the spirit carries the sherry well. However, when I spent my hard earned cash on a full bottle I was hoping for something more extraordinary, and in particular a certain degree of oiliness, that’s different from either the “meatiness” of spirit or the viscosity of high sugar content.

Great Quality ⭐

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