Balblair 70.30 Goose Juice 11 years old

An 11 year old cask strength Balblair from the SMWS. I've enjoyed the offical bottlings of Balblair very much. This is my first IB.

The colour of this is very light. Comparable to say a glass of Chardonnay.

Nose

Quite solventy on the nose. You really notice the high ABV. There's cereal (cheerios), buttered crumpets, gooseberries, icing sugar and an almost tequila like note.

Palate

Arrival is quite immediate. Tastes very young. 11 years going on 7. Sugar coated almonds,buttered toast, salt and pepper bread, some light ginger biscuits.

Finish

Quite long and peppery with tanins at the end.

Overall

This is another disappointing malt from the SMWS. When I first opened the bottle I quite liked that first dram. But instead of opening up and getting better over time, it's gone nowhere. Another malt from the SMWS that feels like it's had an inactive maturation. I know 11 years isn't old for a whisky but I'd expect more complexity than this from an 11 year old. The offical bottle of 12 year old Balblair is £10 cheaper than this and a much better whisky.

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