Blair Athol 26 Year Old 1986 'Autumn Berries' Wemyss

This is only the 10th Blair Athol that I try. It has a nice age with its 26 years on a bourbon cask, distilled in the year in which I purchased my first moped. It was bottled by Wemyss and got the name Autumn Berries.

Wow, this is a fresh spring nose. Forget autumn. It is very light and approachable with lemongrass, hay, icing sugar, sweet malt and hints of apple skins. Pink Ladies too. Juicy apricots. But no trace of any berries (which is of course not a problem). It is quite nice, despite its lightness.

Ah, there they are, the berries! On the palate it is a completely different story. Wonderfully creamy and even a bit punchy with all kinds of berries, both black and red. Raspberries, mostly. Again some oranges and apples in the mix, but it’s the berries that call the shots – hence the name of the bottling. Mildly floral, but not disturbing in the least. Midpalate some nuts join in. Mildly spicy. A pepper and some ginger.

The finish is surprisingly long on lemongrass and some green tea, making for a slightly bitter finale.

Lovely aperitif, if you ask me.

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