Downgraded my score from a 90 to a 88. This is my second bottle, and although very good, not quite the way I remembered it the first time around. Not as much fruit and sherry in the second bottle as the first. It's the same release and both bottles were purchased at the same time, so their shouldn't be any difference between the two, other than my palate changing slightly and being more discerning now than before.

Plum Juice

Different sources state that there has been a release of Balblair 1990 in 1998, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The last three were all called ‘Second Release’. How can this be? While somebody writes down the explanation, I will try the bottling from 2014.

The sherry has clearly put its stamp on this nose. Wonderfully sweet notes of sultanas, banana, oranges, honey, vanilla, dried apricots and mango that goes hand in hand with the spices of which I remember mostly cinnamon and nutmeg. Some brown sugar, rose water and toasted oak. I’ll gladly forgive the hint of molding wood and moist cellar.

It is wonderfully sweet and creamy on the palate. Immediately I get some dried fruits in combination with Granny Smith apples and grapefruit, soaked in lime and plum juice. Good body! Hint of leather and mocha with a salty edge. Surprising and very good.

The finish is medium long to long with the emphasis on pepper, ginger and cinnamon. At the death, a smidgen of sulpher dares to rear its ugly head.

The nose was a lot sweeter than the palate, but is is still a gem. Not very delicate, but powerful and complex. Around 120 EUR nowadays.

Nose: fruity sweetness, tobacco, old wood - a bit musty, delicately spicy, some wax, oranges, toasted cereal (Kellogg's smacks from childhood), after the first sip strong elegant oak notes, a fresh fruity acidity Taste: sweet, spicy, full-bodied, syrupy, hazelnut nougat, prunes, raisins, dates, sawdust - rather grindy, slightly dry, with the second sip - full-bodied, slightly sharp on the tongue like grapefruit skin, various citrus notes, fruity acidity, balsam-like texture , hidden sherry tones, serve more as a backdrop for the bourbon flavors
Conclusion: the drop has a high quality, is quite peculiar in its wood notes, I can not quite understand the hype so yummy but nothing so special

N-
Rich, concentrated and building from strength to strength, with
abundant of well matured bourbon cask goodies in it, expect the clove
and plum dressed with whiff of sour milk and ripe blackberries jam. A
splash of water to enhance the soft chocolate and grassiness. P- Full flavour and velvet creamy texture, gingery hot, spiced sourish
honey, underlay with sweet fig to hold all up together. Elegantly
balanced.

F- Very long and lingering, spice hot.
— at The Whisky Bar, Kuala Lumpur.

Nose: honeyed peaches, toasted oak, ripe dark cherries

Palate: silky smooth honey, plum wine, burnt raspberries

Finish: short, salted peanuts, burnt berries

Overall: can see why some like this whisky but it doesn't quite work for me, perhaps I need to let my bottle breathe some more (>1 month open now)

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/bottle-polishing-three-3s-part-3-3/

We can all agree the vintage year is clear, but what is it with these releases? This is a 1990 vintage 2nd release bottled in 2014, though there are subsequent 1990 vintages bottled in 2015 and again in 2017, also second releases - what!? Highlighting the issue, I’ve read that the 1990/2014 & 1990/2017 [WF89] are wildly different to this one WF81. With the bottling year printed vertically as small print on the back label of the bottle, it’s crucial information retailers often fail to mention. Balblair could eradicate this long running confusion in a jiffy. I’ll write to them.

[UPDATE]
https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2018/09/03/inverhouse-at-the-fringe/

N: Thoroughly pleasing. Beneath the initial oaky>boozy hit awaits a curiosity shop of treats. Within the fruity oily layers there’s quite a plethora of unusual smells that aren’t so easily broken down into spirit/cask camps, given 23 years of alchemy.
T: Like an oaky hummus blended to smithereens, it’s pretty woody and tart [Serge]. What emerges shortly after is a heavy putty/malty fruitiness [oranges & lemons] with chocolate to fudge and caramac - all lined by oak. Given time and some water, you have a delicious mouthful. It’s not overly complex nor clever, just tasty/gluggable - though this isn’t consistent. Also, the journey is stupidly short, especially neat.
F: We see some old paraffin-wax and a murky nondescript selection of home & garden oil & spray products joining the malty/oaky/putty dry mango/citrus action. Short again and very drying on a dry cracked peppery<zesty oaky plane with a touch of dry lime vanilla. Water however lengthens the finale a touch with an oaky-ish putty finish.
C: The nose aside, this Balblair doesn’t set my world on fire though there are moments. The solution is to simply return back to snifting and repeat the cycle, and look for the 1990/2017 [2nd release].

Scores a B-

Second test                                 

light amber color, little nose causing, on the caramel. Much better in the mouth, with a good size, a fat texture, chocolate, dried fruits, red fruits, honey, not too sweet, a saline frame in the background. Quite long for 46%, on chocolate and a very pleasant salty side.

Nose well caramel, red fruits (currant?). The mouth brings the same rendering of currants with salt but the middle is too bitter for me. The power is revealed in the final but unfortunately the vegetable bitterness is reinforced. Way.

To the price (Anno 06/16) Euro 103.- the hammer.
markjedi aptly described this whisky

the sherry has the upper hand here, really nice fruity style with toffee and Christmas spices, flawless, enough complexity and very tasty

fruity, some sherry, cherries

Nose: Vanilla citrus and crystallized ginger. Fresh cut grass and a hint of spiced wood and orchard fruit. Creamy and lively with the slightest hint of varnish.

Palate: Sweet concentrated and creamy. Peppery yet fruity. Wood, fruit, malt and the teensiest hint of smoke. Delicious.

Finish : Fruit and malt. Drying.

Another very good dram from the guys over at Balblair. House style with an addition of complexity from the bourbon+sherry combo. A keeper.

http://whiskyisrael.co.il/2014/02/23/quick-dram-balblair-1990-2nd-edition/

 

 

Balblair 1990-2013, approx. 23 years, 2nd. Release, 46% alc. original bottling
Maturation: bourbon and sherry casks
Region: Highlands, Scotland

Nose: Spicy and sweet, ripe fruits, berries and apples. Very creamy and sweet, toffee, honey, a little vanilla and a small portion of malt. A scent of raisins also comes out of the glass, followed by ammonia and a touch of pepper. Finally, lacquered wood and chocolate. Palate: Full-bodied and noticeably spicy than in the nose, somewhat oily in character. Soft fruits, sultanas, bitter substances, dark chocolate, cinnamon and a hint of sulfur. Overall, quite strong with bitter oak barrels.

Finish: Very long and spicy, bitter tannins, light aromas of sulfur, currants, raisins and blackberries.

Conclusion: Beautiful Balblair - only the slight sulfuric touch has bothered me a bit.
86/100 points (tasted 2015, approx. 105 €)
Thanks to the distillery Kammer-Kirsch for sample and photo

Gorgeous rich nose, where the well-aged spirit beautifully balances the bourbon and sherry cask aspects: dark berries and raisins sit alongside toffee, vanilla and honey, with some floral/heather notes appearing with the addition of a couple of drops of water. The water also released some esters/varnish notes I usually associate with even older (30yo+) malts. Spicy and peppery initially on the palate, with a delayed second wave of flavours bringing creamy yoghurt, vanilla and sweet floral honey. Long, lingering finish with the peppery spice and creamy aspects to the fore. Really nice dram and not bad value for a 23yo OB in the current climate.

Very good dram,gorgeous nose that makes me happy...and it keeps me happy on the palate!!very very good value for money...i paid it 98€,in my opinion a small price for a stunning 23y balblair!!

N: Super dark [bourbon and ex-sherry casks]. Caramel, coffee, cheeses, hazelnuts, honey and butter, homemade fruit jams - raspberries, satsumas, apples, blueberry muffins wound together, some biscuit notes, more like a complex grain, nettle tea.
T: Rich honey delivery as you'd expect, some mild pepper spice, with some light vegetal salty notes. The honey wine continues to open out with the wood, allowing all the sugars to develop. Its quite sickly sweet, but not like the AnCnoc 14, it holds itself at the brink. [the '90 Islay cask 1466 adds a fungal note here which balances the sherry fruits beautifully]. Theres a resurgence of pepper now, it wants you to know what your drinking, this isn't a snooze and slippers dram thats for sure. Then all that sickly sugar turns to a chewy toffee note - i guess we are into the finish here, amazing, its like a toffee appears in the mouth through magic.
F: After a long and lingering palate theres an impressive appearance of aniseed, grainy caramel notes with salt lingering like an old Pulteney. The death brings up a combination of sweet fried seaweed, toffee, salt and some caramel, superb. But its the fudge/toffee [Wurthers/Eclairs] which stays with you. But then theres a peppery cinnamon arrival 5 minutes later.
C: I was initially disappointed with this, having tasted so many amazing drams lately.  But this is a 23yo, i hadn't given it enough time and respect. This will no doubt get better and better as i experience it further as it did as the first dram went down. Class act. After tasting the 1990 Islay cask, this 1990 2nd release is reminding me of the AnCnoc 14, lets hope this doesn't last. Its amazing how much age the Balblair can take, is it the climate, being so Northern? It can't touch the 1975!
Im getting near to the end of the bottle now and boy, how this has held up to its rivals.  Ive tasted probably 20 different drams since opening this bottle, and this is right up there, so much so I'm upping this score from B+ to A-, easily deserves that. Its a tricky one because its quite prickly and isn't easy to penetrate through the pepper and sweetness, however there are rewards for those that do. Certainly could be misjudged and mis-understood from a single sample alone.  Note to self - trust your instincts but be mindful of judging on first impressions alone. Less a journey dram, more a treasure hunt dram! Start looking under rocks dram.

Scores an A-

Clean and fresh on the nose. Complex, and fruity with apples and pears, creme brûlée, oak and lots of barley. Some sherry and toffee. On taste, more sherry cask effects, honey, toffee, buttery, creamy toffee. Long finish that's quite dry with lingering toffee and a hint of chocolate. Overall, this 23 year old is a thoroughly enjoyable, complex dram.