Bladnoch Distillery, Scotland     founded: 1825 | active
For more detailed mapping of the distilleries in the area from our whisky map page, use this link.

As this was one of only a few bottles made of this whisky, our normal 'tasting review' has been supplemented with a review of the quality too - as the internet has little to offer on this whisky:

A great nose greets us with a sugary kiss: Candyfloss, sugared-bitumen, flapjack and barley sugar. It's undeniably fruity as well, orange, raisins and apricot dangling their things in yo' face. As things progress, these sweeter flavours subside a bit, with an autumn (cereal) harvest, an old library, resin and mothballs taking their place. Intensity-wise, it's a spirited kick up the goolies and a spicy punch in the nose (schnozbob). A double-dose of white wine and then a sprinkle of garlic and a splash of sea air finish things off nicely. We really like it, but it's hard to pin down exactly why.

The taste is more intense than the nose, and the flavours ramp up a little. It's clean and well-balanced, but causes a little confusion due to the eclectic nature of the flavours - each sip is a new experience. Now we have the strength of horseradish, tabasco and fish (mackerel) joining in, whilst paprika and latex aren't far behind. That fishiness is amplified by sea spray and salt-water taffy and dampened a little with some aspirin. The sweet fruitiness on the nose makes a bid for freedom, this time posing as baklava, honey, kumquats, strawberries and fruit drops. The general taste is that of Mad Max driving away with burning rubber and the taste of freedom in his head, a sweet tongle-tingle and spices frying on the curry pan.

A long finish is joined by a few of the key players on the nose and mouth - salt, earth and burnt rubber lay the foundations, with strawberry laces and cranberries bringing back the sweetness and providing an entanglement of fruity richness. A touch of resin remains and it's finished off with the slight craziness of fire swallowing. We'd recommend it, especially good for a Lowland.

~£54 (70cl)

Cadenhead's: Bladnoch 1990 20yo   |   http://edinburgh.wmcadenhead.com/product/1397
Wikipedia: Bladnoch Distillery   |   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bladnoch_Distill

We've always scored out of 10 in our group (see number in red box, below), with scores regularly given across that spectrum. The value out of 100 below is adjusted to the scale most commonly used for whisky reviews, to allow for better comparison.

87 / 100