Whiskybase

Blair Athol 1997 HL

Overall rating
86.32/100
votes
27
Whiskybase ID
WB181674
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Hunter Laing (HL)
Bottling serie
McCrae's
Vintage
03.1997
Bottled
12.2020
Stated Age
23 years old
Casktype
Sherry Butt
Number of bottles
330
Strength
50.0 % Vol.
Size
700 ml
Added on
18 apr 2021 1:10 pm
UncoloredNon-chillfilteredSingle Cask Whisky
Blair Athol 1997 HL
Photo by Mautens

Average value

€ 122.90

Found 2 online shops. Lowest price:

€ 119.90
de DeinWhisky.de | Dein Whisky-Versand € 125.90
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3 × in wishlist

27 × member ratings

38 × in collection

Whisky Reviews for Blair Athol 1997 HL

8 users have left a review for this whisky and scored it an average of 86.32 points

  1. Northern&Isles scored this whisky 97 points Expert Senior

    Very tasty, full-bodied and strong sherry-accentuated Blair Athol in cask strength, with exactly 50.0%.
    The sherry butt clearly left its mark in the form of red berries, darker fruits, raisins, sultanas, plums, cherries, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, toffee.
    Nicely balanced and complex with other spices and herbs, black pepper, pink pepper, maybe something like thyme, rosemary, sage, mint.
    Highly recommended.

  2. FeydRautha scored this whisky 89 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      89 89
    • Taste
      89 89
    • Finish
      88 88

  3. claymore84 scored this whisky 86 points Expert Senior

    Tasted on 04-14-2022. 85-87

  4. dongolzo81 scored this whisky 79 points Expert Senior

    A little Blair Athol and then only light and sweet aromas including a hint of off-note (gum sulphur). In the price range and especially age class then ultimately a bit disappointing.
    • Nose
      79 79
      In the nose initially typically heavier (men's perfume) Blair Athol, but then tilts into "fresher", light sulphur
    • Taste
      80 80
      Modern sherry profile, but the 23yo are well hidden. Little to no bitterness. Even sweeter with water.
    • Finish
      79 79
      Relatively short and not very intense. Tasty, but lacks what should make 23yo Malts stand out.

  5. Sleinn nam Ffoh scored this whisky 90 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      89 89
    • Taste
      90 90
    • Finish
      90 90

  6. Brunobaer1887 scored this whisky 78 points Expert Senior

    A unfortunately sherry-dominated whisky from a sucked-out barrel, I suspect that the sherry was supposed to cover a wrong note
    • Nose
      83 83
      And I have the first false note in my nose. A clear start of the lacquer drowns out notes of lemon zest, almonds and some barley sugar
    • Taste
      73 73
      In the mouth it goes on with sulfur, clearly and a lot. With water it tastes like a damp match head. Who likes that?
    • Finish
      77 77
      Sulphurous, medium-long and tolerable together with chocolate.

      It's good that I only had one sample

  7. Issie did not rate this whisky Connoisseur

    • Nose
      Cress on cotton wool, old wood, moss, pine needles, herbs, a little lemon, nuts, behind them dark dried fruits, wild berry jam,
    • Taste
      Forest berry jam, caramel, dark honey, chocolate, nuts, dried herbs, old wood, lemon,

  8. glen efze scored this whisky 75 points Expert Senior

    Blair Athol in Pitlochry is a distillery capable of producing wonderful Highland whiskys. This is a bottling from the McCrae's series by Hunter Laing. The whisky is 23 years old, it comes from the Sherry Butt. That can be a wonderful combination at Blair Athol. Is that also the case with this bottling from 2020, which is still available from a retailer in May 2022 for €126?

    www.glen-efze.de
    • Nose
      In the nosing it is not a sherry flatterer, few fruit aromas, but a sharpness that does not come from the alcohol. Here the whisky brings a dirty note that could come from a certain sulphur. Behind it a creamy vanilla can be guessed, which unfortunately cannot assert itself, and chocolaty-nutty tones remain more of a hunch.
    • Taste
      Unfortunately, the impression from the nosing is confirmed and worsened in the taste. The whisky is pungent and sulphurous with a dirty hint of charred gum. This is not tasty and has nothing to do with what you would expect from a Highland whisky. It is disappointing that a whisky is bottled with this off-note.
    • Finish
      Sulphurous-bitter aftertaste, not a note that you want to hold in your mouth for long. All other notes are covered.

      Unfortunately, the maturity and depth that would be expected at 23 years of age does not come. False notes (sulphur, rubber) cover up the qualities of the whisky that were actually hoped for. The quality does not justify the price. No whisky that's fun.

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