I have unfounded high hopes for this dram
Balblair is a Highlands distillery owned by Inver House that sometimes produces great whisky, and sometimes very boring whisky. Cadenhead's bottled a great many 1990 barrels from Balblair, some of which I suspect were very good and some very bad. I have high expectations for this particular whisky, but not for any particular reason, alas.
nose: starts off well enough -- dried grass with a lot of honey, and then some almost plummy fruit, peonies, and old oak. opens up to apples, yoghurt, and maybe a puff of smoke while keeping that honeyed sweetness.
palate: curious -- it starts aggressive, with astringent, very spicy apples, and then sort of peters out. there are some creamy peaches in there, and a nice combination of honey and hay, but there's not a lot of body there.
finish: shortish, with apples and lots of wood spices (cinnamon, vanilla, even some licorice).
My general (largely uninformed) impression of Balblair is that it makes dull young whiskies that just might become extraordinary with age. This will reinforce that impression: this seems like a dull young whisky that has gained (considerable!) richness and depth with age. Didn't quite make it to extraordinary, however.
score: 87
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