Welcome back to another fine pairing of two single malts to compare those tiny differences when tasting them side-by-side. It’s Sunday here in London, so I figured it’s as good time as any to dip into those old and rare whiskies! The Balblair 25-year-old appears courtesy of the Cask Exporers advent calendar, where it was hiding behind door #2. This is excellent news because just the other day, I tasted the Balblair 18-year-old which appeared in the Ruby Edition (one step down from this Diamond Edition, but still damn good). I’m pairing it against The Glenlivet XXV [also a 25-year-old, obviously], which I’ve been holding on to in my personal collection for too long now (I got it in November of 2013). When opening the latter, the cork broke off, so I had to filter out the remainder before siphoning off 100ml for my archive [see photo below]. It was an official #bottlekill, but I’ve left a dram just for this tasting! So let’s get to it, but first, we must have music! Now playing: 36 & zakè – Stasis Sounds For Long-Distance Space Travel II.
The Balblair is a Highland distillery owned by Inver House Distillers. “A burn near the distillery feeds Balblair, which is amid fields at Edderton, close to the firth and the sea.” In 2019 the distillery returned to releasing aged expressions, with the 25-year-old being the oldest in their core range. This is a naturally coloured, non-chill filtered single malt, bottled at a lovely 46% ABV. The whisky was initially matured in American ex-bourbon casks and then finished in Spanish oak. Neither the bottle nor the site discloses the type of second maturation, but presumably, it would have been ex-sherry casks due to its copper colouring and the immediate reminder of the flavours on the nose. Yes, there are those apricots and dried fruit, which further echo on the tastebuds. It is slightly drier on the palate than I initially expected, with woodsy flavours and that dunnage warehouse earth. Its long and mellow finish rounds off this first taste before I turn to The Glenlivet, which smells sweeter and darker, playing with my mind using that gorgeous amber glow. This “eye candy” should be dismissed because this whisky has added colouring. It’s also chill-filtered, which is a shame. Finally, it’s bottled at the consumer entry of 43% ABV, but the overall ageing profile is somewhat the same as the Balblair: starting off in ex-bourbon casks and then finished in ex-Oloroso casks. This is as easy of a drinker as they come, folks, with deep reverberations of sherry trailing off into the sunset long after the final sip. The edges here are slightly bitter, in that beautiful way, reminding me of a port-dipped cigar lingering in my mouth. Yes… it’s all very romantic, isn’t it?
I take a sip of water and go back for another round of tastings, this time in reverse, starting with The Glenlivet. This XXV bottling is indeed exceptional. Mine is from Batch No. 0913A, and it came in an absolutely gorgeous wooden box (just like this image) with an attached label signed by the distillery’s manager, Hamish Proctor, warehouse supervisor, Bill Lamb, quality controller, David Boyd, and, of course, the master distiller, Alan Winchester. It’s an impressive presentation, with a separate booklet and an invitation to join The Guardians community (which I think no longer exists, as neither does this particular bottling). I remember pouring a dram, maybe once a year or so for the past decade, to celebrate a specific occasion, and I have never been disappointed in every single sip. Now, as I finish it off, the memories are all there: the lovely satin flavour, full of richness and complexity, with plenty of body and a little smoke. But when I turn to the Balblair, I can tell that The Glenlivet is weaker. And it’s not just in alcohol content, but in the oiliness one gets from a non-chill filtered, integrity bottling. The Balblair is thicker with a bit more umami, but it lacks the complexity that the better-sherried casks have imparted on The Glenlivet. The Balblair is definitely the punchier of the two, with more oak and nuttiness, while The Glenlivet is a softer whisper, with sweeter tones of caramel and a gentle touch of a cognac afterglow. And albeit the XXV is no longer available (unless you bid on the secondary market, as I will surely try tonight), it originally sold for something like £200, whereas the Balblair, still standing available from the shops as of this writing, is demanding a whopping £540 per bottle. Hmmm… that is indeed pretty steep…
So there you have it, folks, another splendid tasting of some fantastic old and rare single malts! They’re both “up there” on my list of favourite expressions. But somehow, the Balblair lags behind. And even though I give it extra points for being an integrity bottling, the only thing that truly shines in this single malt is the woodsiness it got from being held in casks for all those twenty-five glorious years. The nail in the coffin is the price because even Glenfarclas 25-year-old is sold for £215, and that’s a damn good single malt (not tasted tonight, I’m afraid – my bottle is still sealed). I will admit, The Glenlivet loses points for a lower ABV and chill-filtration, but I’ll be damned if it’s not an absolutely cracking dram! So with that said, I will proclaim The Glenlivet XXV as the winner of this round, and let us see if I can win another bottle!
The auction went off a few hours later, and guess what, folks, I won indeed! My slightly enthusiastic bidding got me a bottle of Batch Number 0115B for £270 (plus shipping), and I can’t wait to reunite with it again! I guess that little 100ml archive will come in handy after all! Perhaps we will compare! Interestingly enough, the Balblair 25-year-old sold on the same auction for £220 – that’s half the price of what it’s listed for at this very moment in online shops! I think the market has spoken!
Two Drams A Day 