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| Recent releases from Balblair, Benriach, Hazelburn and Isle of Jura | 2 Mar 2011 | |
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Here are few single malts I've tasted recently:
Balblair 1997 bottled 2009:
Lovely, fragrant, fruity nose with notes of vanilla, citrus and oak shavings. Sweet, fruity palate with citrus,
also oaky and spicy in a nice balance. Quite oaky yet fairly nice finish.
(87 p)
Benriach Horizons 12 y.o. (Oloroso sherry finish, 50%):
Nice nose with notes of orange, apricot and sponge cake. Rich, fruity palate with a note of custard - clean, fresh and very nice.
Sweet at first, then drying and develops oak. Nice spicy, oaky finish. All in all nicely balanced and quite more-ish.
(86 p)
Benriach Solstice 15 y.o. (Port finish, peated, 50%):
Unusual nose with peat, malt and grapes. Rich but fairly dry palate, peaty and fruity with a note of mint.
Dry, quite peaty finish. All in all it's interesting but splintered.
(81 p)
Hazelburn CV (46%):
Malty, peaty nose with a note of engine oil - immature and disappointing. Peaty, musty, spicy palate, also fairly sweet
with notes of green fruits. Fairly nice, peaty finish with oak and black pepper. (Hmm, Hazelburn isn't supposed to be peated)
(80 p)
Hazelburn 12 y.o. bottled 2010 (46%):
Fragrant, very nice nose with fruity candy (Fix & Foxi chewing gum), citrus and Curaçao liqueur, also vanilla and oak.
The palate is sweet with citrus, vanilla and oak, unfortunately also a bit hot and spirity. Oaky, dry, disappointing finish.
Compared to the 2009 bottling it's quite different - it's lighter (also colour-wise), has less sherry (if any) and it's not quite as nice.
(86 p)
Isle of Jura Prophecy (46%):
Interesting, promising nose - peaty, malty (wholemeal bread), fruity (orange) with gingerbread (signs of sherry wood).
Rich, sweet palate with gingerbread. Drying, develops spices and peat. Quite peaty finish.
A little young and not particularly balanced but rather entertaining.
Milder and more balanced with a drop water but then it's not as fun!
(Thanks to Johan for the sample)
(84 p)
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