Bladnoch 24 Years Old 1990 50.63 Boozy buccaneers! ~ 58.3% (SMWS)

• Category: Lowland single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Bladnoch Distillery
• Bottling: Scotch Malt Whisky Society; cask 50.63
• ABV: 58.3%
• Cost: £112.18

What they say:

Colour: Stolen gold

Flavour: Deep, rich & dried fruits

Our band of merry men were on a pirate ship navigating towards Trinidad. A heavy mahogany table laden with treacle toffee sponge, molasses, rum and raisin ice cream, baked plum and hoisin sauce with flagons of Madeira wine to wash it down. A swashbuckling bite of chilli and white pepper, then a spice jar of cassia and nutmeg. Sticky thick honey and warm spiced fruit compote emerged. A dose of water brought out sherry fudge, plump dates, tamarind and nuts. Barbarossa reclined on warm salty decking with spiced rum, a leather tobacco pouch while shouting ‘Walk the plank!’

Drinking tip: For courage.
Vintage 15.05.1990
Age 24 years old
Casktype Refill Bourbon Barrel
Bottles: 126

What I say:

Thanks to Ben of Benswhisky.co.uk for organising samples of this 1990 distilled Bladnoch, matured for a full 24 years.

Colour:

Eiswein gold (7/20), medium tears with medium-fine legs

Nose:

Sweet vanilla ice-cream and woody oak, coconut, golden syrup, polished and lacquered antique wood, mahogany, chestnut (wood), tropical fruit cocktail; mango, papaya, lychee, treacle and molasses, tobacco leaf

Taste:

Spicy, ginger and lemongrass, chilli pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, waxy and oily, toffee, fruit; blackberry, blackcurrant, plum, lychee, mango, pineapple, wine gums sweeties

Finish:

Long, spicy, thick treacle with spices & a touch of bitterness like coffee or dark chocolate, woody and dry

Overall:

Wow what a nose on this one! layers and layers of aged ex-bourbon oak wood go from subtleness of vanilla ice cream right through tropical fruit to tobacco leaf. On the palate this was a little spicier and revealed more interesting and dark fruit flavours. Great to taste this piece of history as this Bladnoch distilled in 1990 originates from the era after United Distillers took over Bell’s ownership (1987) before the distillery was mothballed and then resurrected by the Armstrong brothers in 1994.

Score: 87/100

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