Skip to content
  • Home
  • Whisky Top 10
  • Tasting Notes
  • About Thijs
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Whisky Top 10
  • Tasting Notes
  • About Thijs
  • Contact
logo
BTC 2014 #10

Blind Tasting Competition #10: Balmenach 2003/2012 SMWS

16 December 2014 0 comments Article Balmenach, Scotland, Speyside, Tasting Notes

We’re already entering the second half of the Blind Tasting Competition. Sample 10 is an unpeated ex-bourbon cask whisky. And because we’ve had a Highland whisky yesterday, I can at least cross that region of my list. Otherwise I’m completely in the dark today.

Balmenach 2003/2012 (62,7%, Single Malt Whisky Society, C#48.35)

Nose: Very soapy at first, almost perfumy. Then vanilla, cumin, mandarin and orange. Water (and time) also reveal grapefruit and banana. The nose is very closed at first, but give it some time and it will reward you.
Taste: Very peppery. Coconut, orange and citrus. A bit zesty, some spices and also slightly bitter.
Finish: Apple, pepper, cardboard. And then after a long time some caramel.

Rating: 86

It starts almost unpleasant, but gets better with time. It ends on a high note with an excellent finish. The problem is, I have no idea from what distillery this is. I finally decide to go with Glein Keith 21yo at 51,5 percent abv.

That turned out to be completely wrong. Balmenach crossed my mind at some point, but only because I considered almost every Speyside distillery. Just the 20 points for the correct region today.

Thijs Klaverstijn Kingairloch 3
Thijs Klaverstijn

Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.

Tags: 2003, 8yo, balmenach, blind tasting competition, cask strength, single malt whisky society, speyside

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Tumblr

Most popular posts

  • Glendronach cask (flickr ti yab) GlenDronach Is A Lot Older Than The Label Says
  • benromach 21yo 2020 Benromach 21 Years (2020)
  • secret orkney 1999 20yo michiel wigman Secret Orkney 1999 20 Years (Michiel Wigman)
  • glenallachie 1995 24yo the duchess 23 Glenallachie 1995 24 Years (The Duchess)
  • caol ila 2008 12yo torsten paul rogers whisky company Caol Ila 2008 12 Years (Roger’s & Torsten Paul Whisky Company)

Recent blog posts

  • Upcoming: Blind Tasting Competition
  • Sexism & Misogyny in our Whisky Community
  • Monologue: Waterford’s Mark Reynier on Biodynamics & Terroir
  • Why The Whiskybase Gathering Should Be On Your Bucket List
  • Visiting Ballindalloch Distillery: Tradition & Patience in Speyside

Most popular posts

  • Glendronach cask (flickr ti yab) GlenDronach Is A Lot Older Than The Label Says
  • benromach 21yo 2020 Benromach 21 Years (2020)
  • secret orkney 1999 20yo michiel wigman Secret Orkney 1999 20 Years (Michiel Wigman)
  • glenallachie 1995 24yo the duchess 23 Glenallachie 1995 24 Years (The Duchess)
  • caol ila 2008 12yo torsten paul rogers whisky company Caol Ila 2008 12 Years (Roger’s & Torsten Paul Whisky Company)

Search Words of Whisky

About

Words of Whisky is the blog of Thijs Klaverstijn, a freelance writer and journalist from Twente, a region in the east of The Netherlands. He's been drinking whisky for quite some time now, but a visit to Scotland in the summer of 2013 has turned his love for whisky into somewhat of an obsession. This blog serves as an outlet for that obsession.

Copyright Words of Whisky 2018