Bladnoch distillery has been working hard to rethink its range and image in the past few years.
Although it is not entirely clear to me what they consider to be their core range, at the lower end we find a series of NAS expressions. These are mostly combinations of younger and older spirits. Beyond these there are also a number of (irregular) age statements, as well as limited editions and single casks. In the context of Burns Night, I had the opportunity to try their base whiskies.
Vinaya means respect and gratitude in Sanskrit and it pays homage to the original founders of the distillery who paved the way.
Bladnoch Vinaya (46,7%, OB 2022, first fill bourbon + first fill sherry)
Nose: starts quite yeasty, with hints of dough and grist, as well as floral grassy notes. Not sharp or austere though. The typical lemon candy appears, alongside boiled apples and buttery notes. Whiffs of Gewürz sweetness. This leads to sweet toffee, honey and hints of rice pudding.
Mouth: more honeyed malt, with stewed apples and pears, white pepper, light hints of tart berries and a lot of vanilla. Some hints of coconut cream and almonds, as well as toffee, hints of cake and candied ginger. Quite candied, with more oak coming out in the end, as well as hints of cocoa.
Finish: light and rather short, with a creamy side but also drier hints of wood spice.
This is an easy charmer, fairly simple but well made. A new style of Bladnoch perhaps, less austere, with more sweetness and no rough edges whatsoever. A good daily dram. Available from The Whisky Exchange or Royal Mile Whiskies for instance.
Bladnoch Samsara is a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-Californian red wine casks. The name means rebirth.
Bladnoch Samsara (46,7%, OB 2022, bourbon + Californian red wine casks)
Mouth: okay, here’s the wine. Some rosehip tea, cloves, more grapes, blood oranges and a light perfumy touch. Apple tart. Hints of green and black pepper. Then chocolate, light tannins, brown sugar and vanilla. Spicy honey. Wine gums as well.
Finish: medium length, on cinnamon, raisins, red berries and a mildly astringent barrel influence.
As a red wine expression, this could have been much worse. It has some nice elements, but just feels a little pressure-cooked. Available from The Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt for instance. Score: 82/100
Next up is Bladnoch Liora. This expression adds virgin oak to the mix.
Bladnoch Liora (52,2%, OB 2022, bourbon + new oak casks)
Mouth: sweet and spicy. A lot of wood now, with peppery kick, ginger and nutmeg. The sweetness is dialed up to eleven as well, slightly liqueur-like even, full of toffee, pear drops and white chocolate. The green woody side keeps growing stronger.
Finish: drying, with the barrels taking over, though not as lengthy as I expected. Slightly hot and peppery.
Neither the sweetness, nor the active wood are typically Lowlands, in my view. Again this is clearly the revived Bladnoch. The youthfulness is clear and the wood is quite heavyweight. Slightly over the top for my preferences. Score: 82/100
Bladnoch Alinta takes its name from an indigenous Australian word that means fire and flames. Remember the distillery is owned by an Australian entrepreneur. Launched in April 2022, it is their first smoky expression.
Alinta is a said to be a combination of first-fill bourbon barrels (around 12 years old) and first-fill Pedro Ximénez casks (around 4 years old). Although Bladnoch claims a fairly high peat level of 60ppm, although it’s unclear whether there’s also unpeated spirit in the mix.
Bladnoch Alinta (47%, OB 2022, bourbon + Pedro Ximénez)
Nose: quite a buttery and musty start. In all honesty, I didn’t do my research before starting this review and I didn’t expect the peat. It’s not very smoky though, at first it came accross as a dirty Highlands style. Later there is toffee sweetness, worn leather and a mix of minty notes with metallic hints. Then also burnt vanilla and more obvious smoke.
Mouth: still a bit off-centre. There’s a youthful alcoholic edge, a brown sugar sweetness and some peppery heat. Yellow apples and fairly subtle barbecue ashes. Sweaty notes. Light hints of fruit cake as well as a refreshing touch of mint and pine needle. Quite nervous and a little unbalanced.
Finish: short to medium length, with herbal notes, light chocolate and vegetal smoke.
Bladnoch Alinta doesn’t show a classic PX influence, in contrast to the lovely Oloroso-based Bladnoch 14 Year Old for instance. In fact this isn’t classic in any way. Perhaps the age difference between the spirits was a bit too large, which means the youth comes out most. Available from The Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt for instance. Score: 80/100