Overall rating
86.50/100
ratings
12
Whiskybase ID
WB92580
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Hart Brothers (HB)
Bottling series
Single Cask
Vintage
06.2004
Bottled
07.2015
Stated Age
11 years
Cask Type
Bourbon Cask
Strength
55.8 %
Size
700 ml
Added on
11 feb 2017 9:38 am by TKF
UncoloredNon-chill FilteredCask StrengthSingle Cask Whisky
Overall rating
86.50/100
ratings
12

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Whisky reviews for Balmenach 2004 HB

2 users have left 2 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 86.50 points.

Read the reviews
  1. notesofmalt scored this whisky 76 points Expert Senior

    Balmenach 2004 - 2015, 11 years, 55.8% alc. Bottler: Hart Brothers. Expansion: bourbon cask
    Nose: Grain silo, dark puff pastry, fruit cake, old dried apricots, rye bread. Quite a heavyweight, sometimes the aromas seem hidden and sometimes quite chaotically mixed up. Resin and wood glue follow alongside icing and sugar beet. Also some white chocolate, cocoa butter and marzipan.

    Palate: Very special. Less intense than on the nose, but suddenly it gets a good kick of vegetables. It starts with apricots and citrus fruits, followed by vegetable broth, cooked peppers, lovage, ginger and tarragon, and carrots with ginger are suddenly there. In the background bitter oak, hay, caramel and delicate wood smoke.

    Departure: Long, warming and well….still very special here as well. A little fruit, parsley and a lot of wood.

    Conclusion: Difficult, but okay. You can try it, but personally I don't have to do it a second time. 76/100 points (2022)

  2. St. Pauli Plus scored this whisky 84 points Connoisseur

    Balmenach is an interesting malt which is not widely available as a single malt as it's heavy, deep distillate is wanted by blenders. That's why tasting it (owning a bottle) is great already.

    The nose of this whisky is promising and complex, with a beautiful integration of the meaty, malty spirit and the creamy side from the wood. The taste and finish are not able to cope with this and are less multi-faceted. Spices dominate and bring a bitter and hot sensation.

    Still enjoyable but not top shelf stuff.
    • Nose
      88 88
      Oily, dense, meaty, but also creamy, on dough and cereals. The heavy, meaty spirit is somewhat tamed by the wood. Traces of maggi/stock are clearly noticeable, but it's beautifully balanced by a malty, creamy side. Barley sugars, danish pastry, vanilla, caramellised apple, honeyed cereal, white chocolate and almond. All in all it's quite complex and certainly enjoyable.
    • Taste
      83 83
      Medium bodied and not as dense as on the nose, it's significantly "thinner". Whereas the meaty side stays present on stock, it's now accompanied by cidre and lemon and just to a little extent by a malty side. The creamy side has mostly gone, sadly. Later, spices from the wood kick in, with pepper and ginger. It's quite dominant and it influences the whisky too much.
    • Finish
      82 82
      The finish is rather short and acrid. It gives heat from the pepper and ginger, and a citric feel. The meaty and malty side has mostly vanished when no water is added. With some drops, they stay alive but nevertheless on the background.

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