Is their new whisky as good? | Balblair 15 REVIEW

[@arnoldandujar4893]

Recently acquired one of this bottles and im pleased with the product. It’s a rustic whiskey but certainly enjoyable and would recommend to any whiskey lovers! 👍🏼

[@canal-do-guga-namura]

I just had a wee dram... damn, this is seriously good, no joke. I would go higher than a 90 on this, I'm perplexed at how extremely delicious this is. You taste the spirit, you taste the ex-bourbon cask, you taste the sherry cask, and the finish gives you some wonderful oak making it clear this is a 15 year old. I will never not have a bottle of this. INSANELY GOOD!

[@Gwhisky]

Hah great! Yeah it's undeniably good stuff. One of the better 15 out there nowadays imo. Glad you're enjoying it! 🥃

[@franklampard6316]

Definitely agree with your assessment. I have the 15 year and have been enjoying it, but it does have a unique profile that isn’t for everyone.

[@Gwhisky]

Not for everyone, but good stuff imo. Cheers Frank!

[@peathead4450]

Thanks for reviewing, Geoff. Was lucky to visit the distillery last year and enjoyed a tasting with the core range (12,15,18) and a distillery exclusive. From the core range for me the 15yo stands out.more balanced than both the 12 as the 18 and (yep, surprise-surprise) more mature than the 12yo. The 18yo had somewhat too much cask influence to my liking. Slàinte mhath

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah you seem to be echoing the sentiment that a lot of people share about the Balblair line. A lot of the people I've talked to have told me that the 15 is the sweet spot. I'm still curious about the rest of the line, though. I don't mind risking it with the 12, as it's affordable. The 18 I might have to pass on for now. Cheers Peathead!

[@utoobia]

Thanks. Trying to decide between the 12 & 15. Difference is almost $30 US.

[@cookieMonsterSincho]

Will love to see a review of the 18

[@bluesmanen1]

I really love this one, I'm on my second, one liter bottle, and got one unopened one. I've tried the 12yo and it's really nice but I prefer the 15yo. I also have their 17yo, travel exclusive on my shelf, but haven't tried if yet. Also tried a few of their vintage bottling, never disappointed. My favorite is the -99 vintage, bottled in 2018, First Edition, in a purple package.

[@Gwhisky]

I'm sure I'll try the 12 at some point because it's quite affordable. I've heard mixed things about both the 17 and the 18, so I'm not sure about them yet. At least the 17 seems to be very fairly priced. The 99 in the purple packaging was the 1st release from that year and it was great stuff. I had a bottle mysefl! Cheers Mats! 🥃

[@bluesmanen1]

@@Gwhisky About the 17yo, I paid around euro 90 at the Bordershop in Puttgarden, Germany...well my wife bought it for me there when she was there with a friend.

[@wwolf5670]

Now this is on my radar. Thanks as always! Should have that new Royal Brackla 12 soon per your recommendation as well.

[@Gwhisky]

The RB12 is lovely stuff as long as you're ok with sherry bombs. Enjoy!

[@canal-do-guga-namura]

Just ordered a 1 liter bottle of this. Can't wait for it to get here, gonna pop it opened right away!

[@Gwhisky]

Nice! Enjoy! 🥃

[@BanjoSick]

Love the whimsy the channel has developed as of late. Great stuff, and as always great concise info and good to know Balblair is still good.

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks Benjamin. Cheers buddy! 🥃

[@welshtoro3256]

Not as good though 😭

[@ItalNico]

Great review and almost enough to get me to buy a bottle. I have the 12 yr and have been wanting to get the 15 for a while but the price point always stops me. Everywhere I've seen it, both in person and online it is always priced $10-20 more than other 15 yrs such as Glencadam 15 and other well known brands. Maybe I'll give it a try one of these days but it still seems overpriced to me.

[@Gwhisky]

I paid about USD $10 more for this than Glencadam 15, so it seems to be pricier in your market. I fully encourage people to pass on bottles that they deem too expensive!

[@AlinJapan]

I haven't tried the non-vintage bottles after they revamped their line up. I'll have to give it shot--I liked the balance of the older versions.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah I liked the vintages myself. Can't speak for the rest of the line but I do enjoy the new 15. 🥃

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

Excellent intro, Geoff. Entertaining and informative. By the time I got into whisky the vintage series has been put to an end and I missed the last available bottles. The only new bottling I have seen available in Bulgaria is the 12 yo, but its price is not very much to my liking and there has been always something else I have wanted more😀 Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

Shame you missed out on the vintage stuff, a lot of them offered great bang-for-buck. The 12 is one I haven't tried yet. I'll likely get around to it eventually, but like you, there's always something more tempting that comes up first. Cheers!

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

@@Gwhisky Well, I was just late for the party. On the other hand I have missed two world wars and bubonic plague so things have balanced out for me. Kinda... Cheers!

[@steveno7058]

Nice review. I also have the 99 vintage but 2nd release. Its a very good and solid pour. A good balance of sherry and ex-bourbon

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah the 2nd release is the same bottle I held up towards the end of the video. 199-2014. Good stuff, as is the new 15. Cheers!

[@davidmason4812]

Great review as always Geoff, I love this whisky and I prefer it to the 12 and 18, nice spicy notes

[@Gwhisky]

Interesting! I've yet to try the 12 and the 18, but I've heard a lot of people echo your sentiments. Cheers David!

[@andy_calderwood]

Great review. Been lucky to try samples of the 12, 15, 18 on a few occasions, however the 15 is the only one I have gone on to purchase a few times, as for my Palate it just stands out as the best value re quality/ cost. The 12 is good, but lacks the depth of the 15 and the 18 for me, although good isn't worth the extra cost..... all personal view of course. Funny listening to your comparisons and references, as also a big Glenfarclas fan too and again, tried core up to 21 but would still pick the 15 every time as the stand out for my preferences ... cheers

[@Gwhisky]

Great minds and all that, eh? Yeah it seems most people seem to land on the 15 as the sweet spot in the range. I'm sure I'll try the 12 eventually as it's affordable, but after hearing you as well as several other people who share your opinion, I'm a bit trigger shy about the 18. Cheers!

[@jefflawson1876]

Very nice review. Informative and I appreciate the comparison you gave. I am fairly new to Scotch and it helps if I maybe had the comparison bottle before or maybe I can try that if I'm having trouble locating this bottle.

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for watching, Jeff! 🥃

[@cato451]

I am not a Balblair fan. I’ve tried over the years but I have yet to find one I would say was worth it. This one might fit the bill. Thanks.

[@Gwhisky]

If you didn't like the old line then I'm not sure how well you'll take to the new one. Fingers crossed!

[@DonnerPassWhisky]

Had one of these last winter Yes it is good well made Whisky. However it is a pale shadow of the Vintages. The first releases were 10-13 year old first fill bourbon. The second releases were those bourbon casks put into sherry casks for a few more years. The third releases were those sherry casks left for several more years. They were all different but the quality was top notch. This one is a reasonable price for what it is and the 12 too. Above these the prices are way out of line for me. Cheers

[@Gwhisky]

I'll agree it's nowhere near their best vintages. Not peak Balblair, but still good. Cheers Tim!

[@davidowen2834]

Hi Geoff, have had a few vintage balblair’s in the past (1991 vintage is still closed, cost me a very good €130 , great price for a 26 yr old ) and all were good quality whiskies at excellent value. After the re-branding I haven’t even looked at the new range, maybe I should 🤫. As always a throughly good review, slàinte Geoff.

[@Gwhisky]

I had a 1991 release, although I don't know which you have. It was good, as was a 1990 release that I tried. They used to offer wonderful value with their well-aged whiskies. Plenty of good stuff at good prices from the 80's and 90's! Sadly they're no longer up for grabs, and the standard 25 now costs £540 according to a previous comment. Shame.

[@welshtoro3256]

Be warned - They aren't as good.

[@ChoongAndy]

While the 12, 15 and 18 are still reasonably priced, I bought the Balblair 90 (26 yo) & Balblair 91 (26 yo) for way under £150 two years ago and Balblair 25 is today £520.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah some of the older vintages were wonderful value. I've had the 1990 26 year old. Great stuff! 🥃

[@WhiskyLock]

Great review Geoff. I have a bottle of the new 12, 15 and 18 but I've only really spent much time with the 12yo so far. Compared to the ~10yo vintage releases I like the new range. What I've tasted so far is good, although I do think a few things have been lost. In particular the bright and fresh notes that you mention that we used to get seem mostly gone now which is a shame. But the style of the new bottles is very well done and I'm not as angry about it as some. Regarding physical presentation, I agree with you. The old style was good and so is the new rebrand. In particular I like that they've done away with the old double side door 'bottle launcher' boxes. Not trying to brag here... but I am ;-) ... I still have a bottle of the old 1989 Vintage (24yo) on my shelf. Found covered in dust at the back of a top shelf for £105 in a wine shop five or six years ago. It pays to be tall 🙂 I'd love to compare it to the new 25yo but that's now £540... so perhaps not! Prices have gone up a little as you say. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

Shame to hear the freshness is gone, that was a big selling point for me with the older line. That being said, if you're happy with the direction they've taken, then my curiosity is definitely piqued. Lol agree the old boxes were over the top. As for the older vintage stuff, for a while Balblair was low-key one of the best value buys in the whisky world when it came to well-aged stock. I've enjoyed releases from the early 90's, even one going back to my birth year of 1983. They were very well-priced, considering their age, and some were genuinely delicious. Can't say I'm surprised that the standard 25 now costs an arm and a leg, but it's certainly disappointing. Cheers!

[@welshtoro3256]

Hi Buddy, take a look at my comment. More sad than angry I'd say. That 1989 Balblair is an absolute stunner and a masterpiece of ex-bourbon maturation. One of my greatest complaints about whisky today is the quality of casks but Balblair used to spare no expense in the quality of casks in the vintage days. I have a bottle of the 1983 in the stash which is even better. Some of the young ones were great as well. Old Balblair was great with good bourbon casks but I loved their sherry too which were usually expertly blended with bourbon casks. Juicy red fruits instead of boring sherry bombs. A note to you and Geoff - take a look at Chris Goodrum's old reviews of Balblair on his Good Dram Show site. They are very informative. I honestly believe what we are getting from Balblair today is not the best of them and they are capable of far better. WT

[@WhiskyLock]

@@welshtoro3256 Hi WT. I've had the 1989 before and agree it's wonderful. Looking forward to that! It seems to me that the new age statement releases are larger vattings. More homogenised. A very different approach to making whisky. I do really like the 12yo, which is the only one I've spent enough time to pass judgement on so far, but it's very different to the fantastic bourbon matured young vintage releases. Agree about Pulteney. I miss the 17yo.

[@teachergregory291]

I like your vids because you get to the friggin point in about 12min rather than others who take 20-25min just to get to the dang whisky.

[@Gwhisky]

Glad to hear it. Thanks for watching! 🥃

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

I have not flipped any tables, nor thrown any plates. Still, I am struggling with the change. Thankfully this sounded good. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

I fo enjoy this one, but I'll be the first to admit much was lost when they lost the vintage line. Hope you get your hands on a bottle of this at some point! 🥃

[@MrChristopherMolloy]

I haven't tried Balblair since its rebranding, but I do have an unopened 24yo, vintage 1990, 2nd Release. Not sure when I'll get around to it.

[@Gwhisky]

Some of their older vintages from the 80's and 90's were sold at amazing value back in the day. Great find! 🥃

[@danleonard3600]

I’ve tried the 12 and it’s good. The 15 is way overpriced in my market. It’s different than the old vintage releases but not poorer quality. There is more herbal bitterness on the back end that can be off putting for some but I enjoyed.

[@dairyyang5457]

Haven't tried any of Balblair, sounds good! 🥃

[@Gwhisky]

I've only tried this one, but it's nice! 🥃

[@juanmlsanabria]

Nice Review Geoff. I haven't tried BALBLAIR on their new labeling, but i have the Vintage 99 version just like yours and it is very good. It is nice to know that it seems there is no big difference (i mean besides price😭) between both of them. Cheers 🥃

[@Gwhisky]

Hah well it's different rom the 1999 but it's still good stuff. I don't think any modern whisky's value can be compared to where it was a few years back. That's the name of the game, unfortunately. But yeah, I was prepared to dislike this one but I was pleasantly surprised. Cheers buddy and thanks for the IG shoutout the other day! 🥃

[@kellywellington7122]

Thanks, but I'll stay with Glenfiddich Solera. The only Balblair available in-state is the 18 year old, which was under consideration. Maybe, someday, but not now. I also had other 18 year olds, Aberlour, AnCnoc, Arran, and Highland Park which made the short list. I've had the Aberlour 12 and it earned "possible restock" status, but I'm hoping to get my hands on a bottle of A'Bunadh first, which is now evidently running with the unicorns in my state. At least I was happy with lower, and much cheaper, age statements from Aberlour. AnCnoc and Arran are a different matter. I have not tasted any of either. Given what I've seen on multiple reviews, I suspect I may be able to do the same with both of these...trial with the younger stuff before committing to an 18 year old. So, it brings me down to that disappointing old friend, Highland Park. Maybe their 18 year old will respark the old romance? Maybe I'll find the commitment to a 'lilting hint of peat' on a humdinger of a sherried single malt. O, Highland Park, I just can't quit you....

[@Gwhisky]

I love the HP hint of peat. Such a good all-rounder whisky. Floral, sherry, Heather, barley. One of my favourite house styles. Hope you can get your hands on AnCnoc. Fantastic character! 🥃

[@lewisduffy675]

The travel retail 17' was available here for a while marked down to the price of the 15, assuming on account of a surplus of the stuff due to Covid; that's the only Balblair I've tried since the rebrand. Very similar to your notes here, although it seemed to me there was a hint a peat? Very well balanced and executed, so much so that it came off a bit unremarkable to my taste. I wonder if I'm biased towards edgier, even slightly flawed bottles over whiskies likes this. Maybe because I'm such an edgelord. ;) Cheers man entertaining as ever!

[@Gwhisky]

Lewis the Edgelord. Lol. The 15 might have similar tasting notes, but I don't find it to be as overly balanced and engineered as you seem to find the 17. It might still be worth a go. Cheers!

[@lewisduffy675]

@@Gwhisky I don't know about engineered per se...enjoyable but didn't stand out in any way. Definitely deserves a revisit. The 18 can be found at $150 CAD here right now prob pick that one up.

[@Gwhisky]

@@lewisduffy675 I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on it. Haven't tried it here 18 yet and I've heard mixed things about it. CAD $150 for an 18 ain't bad in today's climate, I suppose. Cheers buddy!

[@alexandermitev5189]

This distillery has been on my rador for a while now! Def would like to try the 15. I would be quite curious to see a review of the 12 and the 18 as well :) I have actually heard some good stuff about the 18!

[@Gwhisky]

I'm curious about the 18, but I've heard mixed things. Some like it, others think the 15 is the sweet spot. I might start with the 12 and work my way up to the 18. Cheers!

[@welshtoro3256]

They are a great distillery Alexander but their owners have crippled them to some degree. (See my comment.) Very much worth trying though.

[@utoobia]

Ralfy scored the 12 yr at 90. Not sure which to try first!

[@Gwhisky]

High praise! I've yet to try the 12. 🥃

[@jckbquck]

Perhaps, just perhaps, the people at Balblair was concerned that their vintage numbering would become confusing to customers, as they approached years 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, and so on..... A vintage 2012 could be mistaken for a 12 year old scotch, for example.

[@Gwhisky]

Perhaps. I'm not making a lot of noise or fuss about the shift to age statements. I understand the why. But do I miss the vintages? Yeah... 🥃

[@welshtoro3256]

Honestly, I could have adjusted to the new range and the fact that they had age statements. However, the writing was on the wall. The owners, Inverhouse, were messing around with Old Pulteney at the same time as the Balblair change and myself and many others predicted a lowering of the age statements and charging the same price. The new range of Old Pulteney is alright but not as good as the old range and too expensive for what it is. Unfortunately, one of my favourite distilleries, Balblair, has suffered the same fate. I'd still buy it if the whisky was as good but it is nowhere near as good. One of my favourite distilleries is lost to me. This 15 year old is okay but the old 1997 (16 yr ex-bourbon) vintage blows it away. In fact, I say all of the old vintages do. Do a side by side with that 1999 and I will bet my house it's better. The rebranding just reeks of the most ghastly kind of corporate business model and nearly always heralds a downward trajectory for a whisky distillery. We never talk about Balblair or Old Pulteney any more for good reason. Benriach has suffered a similar fate as well and Glendronach are almost there. Benromach's make over was shite (but at least the whisky survived). Who the hell do the bosses of these companies think buys their product? They all jumped on the Whisky Rush hanging on to the coattails of Macallan and a small handful of others and destroyed their reputations in the process. We must not support companies that do this and should express our displeasure by boycotting their goods. Inverhouse will play the long game and hope that we all forget about their self-imposed decline and just accept their new offerings for what they are. I'm afraid I can't forget because every sip reminds me of the decision a bunch of boardroom twats took to lower the quality of their whisky and take their customers for fools. That was more of a personal eulogy than a rant. At any rate, that was a fine and well balanced review Geoff. Well done mate. 🥃

[@Gwhisky]

WT coming out swinging! Hah. It's hard to compare this to old vintages of similar ages because they had so many different 14/15/16 year olds that were put out over the years. Some were better better than others, obviously. I'd agree that the 15 is nowhere near peak Balblair and they're capable of better. It's good, though. I'm not as angry at Inver House at you are. I could go on about Diageo, and the rebranding of Pulteney and Balblair defininitely hurt the Inver House brands. I LOVED the old OP line, and the new one is just ok. I've only tried the new Balblair 15 so I can't speak to the brand on the whole. Definitely less variety and I have no doubt the overall quality has gone down. BUT... their whiskies for the most part are still naturally presented and generally more affordable than the majority of their competitors (at least here). So while they've gone downhill, I'd argue that the industry on the whole has, and they're still more competitive than most. But yes, I totally agree that OP and Balblair aren't what they used to be. Meanwhile, Speyburn and AnCnoc are doing just fine imo. Cheers buddy!

[@jimmyjazz4605]

Ah! So the big G is starting fires at a bunch of Macca's - I respect that immensely. Stay tech 👌

[@Gwhisky]

😂😂😂

[@gabrielmariz9610]

How is this compared to Glenfiddich 15?

[@Gwhisky]

I prefer this. 🥃

[@scnullois]

Hey G, I see you are also savoring some bottles... How do you think about that in the context of your collection/drinking habbit?

[@Gwhisky]

Sorry I'm not too sure what you mean SC Nullois.

[@scnullois]

Oh I just saw tou had an unopened backup bottle

[@Gwhisky]

@@scnullois It's more the latter half that I'm unclear on. I do have some bottles saved. "How do you think about that in the context of your collection/drinking habit? " You're asking how I feel about having extra bottles? Or if I plan to drink them? Lol sorry buddy just trying to better understand the question so I can answer it as clearly as possible.

[@scnullois]

@@Gwhisky LOL thanks for the follow up! I guess to be clearer, I was wondering if you save some bottles for collection or consumption at a much later date and if so, what goes in making the decision. For example for me, I have some bottles I will probably never open (eg MacAllan Edition 2 and Balvenie 40 Year) because I dont think the juice justifies the price but I got them at a good price so why not as a show piece. Others I liked a lot and was worried they would become hard to find or prices may go up (eg Glen Scotia 15) so I bought backups, etc. anyway i think an episode on ur collection and how you think about these things could be interesting.

[@Gwhisky]

@@scnullois Yeah for me it's mostly just because I really like the whisky and I found it at a fantastic price. Good prices don't last, so it's basically an investment in future enjoyment. That being said, I have a couple bottles that I might sell off at some point if I choose, although that wasn't the initial intention. I don't have much of a backup collection tbh, and there aren't any "showpiece" whiskies that are quite as impressive as yours. A couple gems in there but I'm sure my collection will pale compared to a lot of people's. Still, an episode on the backups is something to consider. Cheers! 🥃

[@daveandrews5485]

Hate me some Brussel sprouts. 😂

[@Gwhisky]

Hah same.

[@JR-nl3mh]

Not cheap one. I think I paid near 100 € in Portugal.

[@vimalrajkappil]

A wishky which i never tried yet

[@Gwhisky]

It's good! 🥃

[@welshtoro3256]

If you can't compare them with the old Balblair you have a good chance of really liking them. You should definitely give them a go.

[@wilseph1]

I'm still pissed that Balblair did away with the vintages.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah I agree. Kinda sucks. 🥃

[@martywong822]

I don't know if the whisky is the same as old good, but the new bottle design just destroy the beauty of previous Balblair bottlings. The whole marketing team needs to reflect on themselves. I do not agree the bottle design worth 4.5 out of 5.0. For me, it will be 1.0 out of 5.0 because I own a few vintage bottlings. The new design simply push me away from Balblair, just pure fact.

[@Gwhisky]

The old design was more modern, whereas there's more of an art deco touch to the new one. It's the same bottle shape. From a green perspective, the box is less cumbersome and wasteful. Matter of taste!

[@martywong822]

@@Gwhisky I think you have a point there. For the green perspective, using less glass is also preferable, although I do not want my whisky being stored in a PET bottle.

[@arnoldandujar4893]

Bro, whoever drinks Balblair don’t even steps in a McDonald’s for Christ sake 🙄