Sometimes I can be very undecisive. I stand in front of my whisky safe, with a dozen or two different tastings themes to choose from. Young grains. Old Islays. A Glen Garioch horizontal. Another vertical of newbie distilleries. Cracking open a new bottle for a first impression? After a long time hesitating, and trying to connect with what my mood was for the evening, I decided I wanted something a bit random so I don’t have to think too close about comparison, but not too random to not have a theme at all. An from by box of unsorted samples, I pulled out three very different blended whiskies, and thought, yeah, why not. So here we go.
Ballantine’s | 1960s | 43%
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Scotch blended whisky
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<cask info>
🔆
—
💲
auction
🔗
whiskybase
5cl sample bottle
⚡Experience
Delicate and rather fresh sherry nose: ginger ale, apricot marmalade, apple pie (cinnamon, baked apples), flowers (violet?). Nothing untoward here. Very mild, creamy, and mellow on the palate . There’s sweetness, like a ripe mandarin, and some toffee. The alcohol is silent at first, but then comes alive in the development along with more wood spice: cinnamon, and dried juniper berries.
💡Thoughts
Nice! It’s a whisky that’s hard to dislike. It doesn’t overindulge with heavy sherry notes, but neither is it bland, and there are no off notes. Nothing drew my attention to the presence of grain whisky here, although there certainly is.
Rewarding
✔️
“White Heather” | 15yo | 46%
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Scotch blended whisky
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American oak, oloroso & PX casks
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unchillfiltered & natural color
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€55
5cl sample bottle
⚡Experience
Concentrated fruitiness (candied orange peel, dried mango), ginger ale, some greener notes (pine, perhaps, and lemongrass), mineral and leather. I’m heavily primed to say heather. Looking for it, I can say yes, but blindly I’d probably not have. Palate: quite spicy and drying, less sweet than the note might suggest, and even a little bitter. The grain component feels quite prominent. We’re on a more earthy, spicy and herbal path now (might I even say heathery?), with a light peat and tobacco on the horizon. All the while, toffee undergirds our steps. The fruits reassert themselves in the finish (kiwi!).
💡Thoughts
It’s quite characterful. Not as refined as would be expected of a 15yo single malt, though. But I applaud the integrity bottling; this is a blend with some ambition.
Looking now at the official tasting notes: “Nose: waves of heather honey and butterscotch, followed by orange peel, pineapple, mint and a hint of peat. Taste: layers of treacle, heather honey and butterscotch, followed by orange peel, grapefruit and almonds, with mocha, ginger and a light whisp of peaty smoke on the finish.” I think orange peel and ginger was in quite clear agreement.
Rewarding
✔️
“Blended Scotch Whisky” | 30yo | 40% | Master of Malt
3cl sample bottle
⚡Experience
Nose: Shoe sole and tropical fruit. Orange adorned with clove. Old oak. Parmesan. A rather viscous palate, despite the 40%. Mildly sweet. Butterscotch, some wood resin. Mostly grain associations here, but good associations.
💡Thoughts
Usually I only have about 2-3cl of any dram in the tasting. Today I had a bit more, and by this third dram I’ve definitely lost my composure. Anyways, this was a tasty but not too remarkable dram.
DuckDrams 
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