Whiskybase

Balblair 18-year-old

Overall rating
85.42/100
votes
22
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Distillery Bottling
Bottled
2019
Stated Age
18 years old
Strength
46.0 % Vol.
Size
700 ml
Added on
28 Mar 2019 3:42 pm by holborndrinker
UncoloredNon-chillfiltered
Balblair 18-year-old
Photo by Ana_tol
Balblair 18-year-old
Photo by Ana_tol
Balblair 18-year-old
Photo by Ana_tol

Average value

€ 128,10

Found 18 online shops. Lowest price:

€ 103,99
gb Master of Malt £ 118,00
gb The Whisky Exchange £ 118,00
sc Loch Fyne Whiskies £ 125,00
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3 × in wishlist

22 × member ratings

19 × in collection

Whisky Reviews for Balblair 18-year-old

9 users have left a review for this whisky and scored it an average of 85.42 points

  1. peatbogger scored this whisky 85 points Specialist

    Tasted at the distillery.
    The line up of 12, 15, 18 follows an even progression.
    With a progression in price as well.
    The 18 has the most flavour, yet the 15 was my fav, and still I think the 12 is best value for money.
    • Nose
      85 85
      This has spent it's extra years in some good sherry wood.
      The sherry influence is much deeper than on the 15.
      Still not completely covering the lighter fruity notes of the bourbon casks, but this has added notes of raisins, prunes, more and darker chocolate, coffee and leather.
    • Taste
      86 86
      Very rich on the darker notes without going to any extremes.
      Well rounded and on the sweet side, although it feels a bit more dry than it's younger siblings.
    • Finish
      85 85
      We are approaching a long finish.
      Chocolate and coffee, slightly drying.

  2. lachaineduwhisky did not rate this whisky Expert Senior

    Tasted in the living room

    More based on leather and sherry than the 15 years, the value added compared to the latter is very low (the balance is worse if we take into account the price)

    Enthusiasm 2/5

    Whisky n ° 2033

  3. Wolv scored this whisky 82 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      84 84
    • Taste
      83 83
    • Finish
      80 80

  4. matts scored this whisky 85 points Expert Senior

    Character: Very spicy, dry and oak-rich. Provided with a sour herb note. Not too complex, but with quite good drinking flow.
    Rating: The 18y is a little more peppery in direct comparison, but as with the 12y and 15y, I like the tart tart herb note. The taste is not quite my case. Nevertheless, there are a total of 85 points in my opinion
    • Nose
      Right from the start sherry and oak pull neatly balanced in the nose. Juicy sultanas, orange peel and sweet red apples meet cinnamon-dominated spice mix, oak and leather. The basic characteristic is not dissimilar to the 15y; the 18y affects me but a bit more set and Eichichenlastiger.
    • Taste
      Surprisingly intense, spicy oak immediately hits the tip of the tongue. Accompanied by a vanilla and toffee flavor, malt and grain are flushed through the mouth. It gets quite peppery and then there are a handful of hazelnuts and an ever-increasing, tart oak flavor. In the transition to the finish, a lot of cocoa powder resonates. Towards the end, a bit out of round bitterness comes through.
    • Finish
      The finish is medium long. Bedded on chocolate with a high cocoa content, a bitter, slightly bitter oak taste sounds intense. Pepper and cinnamon flash through briefly and with a herbal note that reminds me of sorrel, the bottling finally finishes.

  5. galg33 scored this whisky 87 points Member Senior

    Nose: Quite a different profile than the 17 year old with more fruit (pear, toffee’d apples), spices, leather and a leafy note as well, not as sweet as it’s younger sibling, and certainly not as sweet/ sherried.

    Palate: Spicy up front, then the orchard fruit kick in, with apricot and nectarine, as well as vanilla, maybe crème brulé, and toffee, sweeter and spicier than the nose suggested, very balanced and very more-ish, with the dried fruit arriving only very late.

    Finish: Cinnamon , clove and sultanas (Xmas cake anyone?)

    Bottom line: Lovely stuff. A notch up from the 15, harmonious and easy drinking whisky, for a nice autumn / winter day, or with a nice chocolate desert, good balance, and well made, the best of the bunch so for , for me. (looking fwd to trying the 25..)

  6. Bam scored this whisky 84 points Expert Junior

    Powerful, heavy whisky, which is characterized by dark oak and sherry aromas, but shows little fruit but pleases with dry and oaky spicy flavors.
    • Nose
      Red apples, apricot and raisins. Brown sugar and dark caramel. Fresh leather and shoe polish, slightly musty. Strong oak flavor and always some cinnamon and vanilla.
    • Taste
      Strong onset, dry mouthfeel. Again the red apples, and apricot. Oak spice, slightly peppery. Dark nougat and hazelnuts. Cocoa powder. A little vanilla.
    • Finish
      Medium long, dominated by oak and dark notes. Dark caramel. Astringent.

  7. Joint86 scored this whisky 87 points Member Senior

    • Nose
      85 85
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      88 88

  8. Dre73 scored this whisky 86 points Connoisseur

    Tasted this on the same time as the 15yo, and they're quite similar. Only difference is that the 15yo is more on solely peach, where the 18yo has some more chocolate influence besides the peach.
    In fullness and finish it's comparable though.
    • Nose
      85 85
      Fruity, peach, after some while clearly some chocolate. Prunes as well.
    • Taste
      86 86
      Very soft and smooth, milk chcocolate, some honey sweetness, peach, some orange as well.
      Although smooth and soft, it's definately not thin.
    • Finish
      86 86
      Still very soft and smooth but full of taste. Chocolate again and some peach, and some bitterness underneath. That bitterness disappears after some while, long finish, with a lot of sweetness, peach and milkchocolate.

  9. Stanzeflasche scored this whisky 86 points Expert Senior

    Vanilla, caramel, white fruits. It's very rich. Exotic fruits, mango, citrus, mirabelle. Very long finish.
    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      85 85
    • Finish
      86 86

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