Onward, with yet anther expression from Diageo’s Flora & Fauna series. A series that just doesn’t stop giving. Around since 1991 (started by United Distillers), when Aberfeldy 15yo, Aultmore 12yo, Balmenach 12yo, Benrinnes 15yo, Bladnoch 10yo, Blair Athol 12yo, Caol Ila 15yo, Clynelish 14yo, Craigellachie 14yo, Dailuaine 16yo, Dufftown 12yo, Glendullan 12yo, Glenlossie 10yo, Inchgower 14yo, Linkwood 12yo, Mortlach 16yo, Mannochmore 12yo, Pittyvaich 12yo, Rosebank 12yo, Royal Brackla 10yo, Teaninich 10yo and Speyburn 12yo made up the first line up. A lot has happened since 1991. so several of these expressions ceased to exist within the Flora and Fauna series, Like Balmenach (Distillery was sold) or like Pittyvaich (Distillery was closed) or like Mortlach that got its own special release and line-up. Also in 2001 (Diageo by now) four new offerings were brought into the fold: Auchroisk 10yo, Glen Elgin 12yo, Glen Spey 12yo and Strathmill 12yo. The series still exists and has quite the history behind it, too much to tell here in a nutshell.
Four of the five reviews I did from this series were Sherried bottlings, with only Teaninich being a clear example of a Whisky matured in Bourbon casks. However, this Blair Athol is again a Sherry matured expression, is that a coincidence? No not really. I already knew that the Mortlach 16yo had the reputation to be the best expression of all, and when buying alternative bottlings from this series, I thought it would be fun to first find the next best Sherry bottling within the series.
Color: Chestnut Orange Brown
Nose: Nice fruity old skool nose. Smells like steam and black coal age with hints of fresh air. Chewy, sappy wet wood and there is some spiciness to the wood as well. Hardly any woody bitterness. Hints of leather and super dry raisins. Very distant tar and some unexpected cooked vegetables and a tiny hint of petrol, akin to that of a good Riesling. I wonder if I would pick up on that every time around. Old batch of paper, which works well right now. The whole is so “historical”. Every time I am smelling this, I have this feeling this is a very old Whisky, nothing modern at all. Old style and you might call it dusty. It’s not heavy, yet also not very fruity either, it is somewhere in the middle between lively (fresh and slightly acidic red fruits) and an old leather couch standing in a room with a fireplace. Very well balanced and the nose projects a lot for a 43% ABV Whisky. Remember the days Whisky came in screw top bottles? So old skool, very good but also not all that complex. Highly “smellable”. Something for a Sunday treat.
Taste: On entry it shows old skool again, with some sort of restraint sweetness to it, like from old caramel candies. Also the ABV is noticeable right away. On entry is seems to have a low ABV, however if sipped some more, this thinness, gets out of the way, like its building upon itself. Two times one is two (and not one). It’s still not a heavy hitter in that regard. In a way it does remind me a bit of old Cognac or a light Armagnac. The Blair Athol is very well balanced and very tasty as well. This is an easy drinkable Whisky and I guess that has always been the goal with the Flora and Fauna series, apart from showcasing the many distilleries in the portfolio of Diageo and its predecessors. Again, not very heavy since it is easily drinkable because of the fruit having this slight acidic touch to it as opposed to the over ripe and sweet fruits you can also get sometimes. Now I know! This acidic fruitiness is reminding me of Calvados and apples! This is stuff you would like to pour over and over again, nice complexity and very interesting stuff since it reminds me of Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados. Is this all cask influence? These casks held quite some Sherry if it is. The aftertaste focuses on the slightly tarry and oily industrial notes. Remember the steam and the black coal it started with in the nose, Well you have it in your mouth now, after swallowing it.
Since this is by now a long running series I do have to point out that all expressions in existence are released on a regular basis and they can differ quite a lot. As we have seen earlier, not all Benrinnes 15yo from within this series are created equal. With the 2001 expression scoring higher (88 points) than the 2008 expression (84 Points). 4 points is quite a lot on the enjoyment scale.
Points: 87
