Another pun-based Society bottle name – this time employed for a 12 year old Blair Athol that’s been drawn from a refill ex-bourbon barrel.
Nose: Lemon peels, lemon balm and Lockets are joined by sunflower and olive oils on a bed of waxed jackets and candles. Tangerines and nectarines provide bright zesty fruitiness whilst buttercups and sage take us into the garden. Running throughout, bung cloth and moist soils – somewhat vegetal and dank. Dilution further enhances the mustiness – wine cellars and dunnage with pangs of lime and wood oils.
Taste: The arrival delivers a wonderfully textured, weight mouthfeel with plenty of cling. Lemon oils and furniture lacquer sit with alluvial soils, moss, fern and bracken. White chocolate and lychee provide sweetness, whilst minerality in the form of shingle lurks near the back. Water retains the textural mouthfeel, but transposes it into a more silky plain – melon, gooseberry and lime with plenty of salinity and granite outcroppings.
Finish: Medium with machine oils, lime juices and coal dust.
This Blair Athol delivers big on aroma and flavour and big on texture. Well-composed, well-balanced and above all tasty. The fact that this comes from the cheaper end of the outturn makes it a doozy. The Dramble’s pick of the month.