Tasted #478: Bladnoch x Boilermaker House Select Cask 18 Year Old

Aussie-owned Scottish distillery Bladnoch is one we've featured on the blog and socials before, but always covering bottles from their standard line-up (i.e. what you can buy at Dan's). What we tried recently however, is a little bit more special...

Bladnoch, in conjunction with Melbourne's temple of whisky and beer Boilermaker House have bottled a single cask, 18yo Bladnoch specifically for the bar...finished in Moscatel casks no less!

To quote the bar:

"In creating this release, Bladnoch’s acclaimed Master Distiller, Dr Nick Savage hand selected a collection of Bladnoch malts for the Boilermaker team to taste. In a private tasting, Cask 102 was specially selected by the team led by Greg Sanderson as the perfect malt for the Boilermaker House customer. 

In August, Boilermaker’s bar manager, Asher Spitz travelled to Bladnoch Distillery in the Scottish Lowlands to meet Nick Savage and Distillery Manager, Neil Bulloch and taste directly from the team’s selected cask. Finished in luxurious Moscatel casks, the malt shows notes of sweet baking spices and fruitiness on the palate.

Just 275 bottles have been made from the cask and will be on shelves at Boilermaker accompanied by a custom beer to celebrate the release."

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Whilst the majority of stock has been kept for the bar, 30 bottles will be available for purchase, by ballot registration here. So should you? The team at Bladnoch were recently kind enough to send us a sample, so judge for yourself with the tasting notes below...

Bladnoch x Boilermaker House Select Cask 18yo Cask #102 (48.3% ABV, 18yo, Lowlands, Scotland)

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Colour: Orange gold

Nose: There's a big hit of stewed fruits at first - poached pears, apricots, raisins (notes which continue throughout). There's a sweetness too - maple syrup perhaps.

Palate: More stewed fruits. Baked pears, apples, apricots. The oak is there, but balances well with the fruit. The first whisky it reminded me of was Glenmorangie's Bacalta, and that's not a bad thing! Peach and caramel pie follows up, making for a deliciously fruity dessert dram.

Finish: Relatively long and warming, with hints of cinnamon, star anise and dried apricots.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100.

Cheers,
Martin.

Thanks to Bladnoch and Boilermaker House for the sample.

Tasted #350: Bladnoch Samsara

Up until very recently, the majority of Bladnoch bottlings you'd see on shelves would be independent bottlings (from the likes of Gordon & Macphail, Duncan Taylor, Adelphi and SMWS amongst others), or older official bottlings, like this Diageo Rare Malts bottling.

That all changed in 2015 though, when Aussie businessman David Prior purchased Bladnoch Distillery, becoming the latest in a long line of owners over the distillery's nearly 200-year history.

After an initial launch of a NAS blended whisky ("Pure Scot"), the distillery has now released three single malts, all made available to the Australian market before anywhere else. Topping the range is the 25 year old Talia, followed by the 15 year old Adela, and finally the NAS Samsara.

Despite not carrying an age statement, distillery closure periods tell us the whisky in Samsara would have been distilled in at least 2008 (if not earlier), making it approximately 8 years old at minimum. The distillery has also taken the decision to bottle non-chill filtered, and at 46.7%. Two big ticks in my books.

There's no denying the bottle design (used for all 3 single malts) is stunning, with its thick glass base, weighty stopper and metallic label. It exudes quality and wouldn't look out of place next to a bottle of Hibiki (which is saying something).

...but ultimately, it's about the liquid inside. So...how's it fare?

Bladnoch 'Samsara' (46.7% ABV, NAS, Lowlands, Scotland, $129.99AUD)

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Colour: Pale yellow gold.

Nose: Youthful and expressive at first. Peaches and mango, with a touch of dryness, and some Posca pens (remember those?!)

Palate: Apricots and marmalade. Sweet tropical fruit juice poppers (wow this is really bringing back some primary school memories). Hints of drying oak, and some crayons. After a good 20 minutes in the glass, the palate became a lot rounder and more creamy (still sweet) - actually quite moreish.

Finish: Long, slightly oaky, with a residual (and enjoyable) sugary-spice.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  88/100. A nice, smooth easy-sipping whisky - one which (after time) I came to really enjoy, and found myself going back to more and more.

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Bladnoch for the review bottle pictured here.