Balmenach 1979 19 Year Old Scott's Selection

Balmenach 24 Year Old 1988 Signatory Vintage for The Nectar

The Nectar, run by Mario Groteklaes, was able to secure bourbon hogshead 2808 from Signatory containing 24 Year Old Balmenach. I put it head-to-head with hogshead 2794 that was bottled in the same year. The nose starts rather closed, but after a few moments it opens up nicely. A touch vegetal (dried grass), but immediately followed by green...

Score 87/100

Balmenach 24 Year Old 1988 Signatory Vintage

The Cask Strength Collection by Signatory has known releases from almost every single distillery. Including this Balmenach, a rather obscure distillery in Speyside. I will put this hogshead 2794 head-to-head with hogshead 2808 that was bottled especially for the Belgian bottler The Nectar. A very vegetal nose, this Balmenach! Freshly cut grass,...

Score 86/100

Balmenach 27 Year Old 1983 Bladnoch Forum

Let us put another couple of casks of Balmenach head-to-head. They are sister casks after all. I will start with this Bladnoch Forum bottling, a Balmenach 1983, cask 2411. The sparring partner is cask 2413, bottled by A.D. Rattray. Honeysweet and creamy nose on all sorts of yellow fruit. Mirabelle, pineapple, peach. Some juicy apples too....

Score 86/100

Balmenach SMWS 48.88 - Mimosa growing in chalky soil

Seldom will you come across a bottling of Balmenach. Licensed in 1824, this Speyside distillery was sold to DCL 100 years later, remaining in constant production until 1993. A 12-year-old became part of the Flora & Fauna range, but to my knowledge that is the only known distillery bottling. In 1997 it was sold to Inver House, who remain the...

Score 82/100