Blair Athol 12 Years Old 2003 Hepburn’s Choice bottled exclusively for Robertsons of Pitlochry (46%, Langside Distillers, 2016)

• Category: Highland single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Blair Athol Distillery
• Bottling: Langside bottled exclusively for Robertsons of Pitlochry
• ABV: 46%
• Price £20 for 20cl

What they say:

Distilled in 2003 at Blair Athol and matured for a full 12 years in a single cask before bottling at 46% without chill-filtration or colouring, exclusively for Robertsons of Pitlochry.

What I say:

During our recent Speyside and Highland tour we stopped by both Edradour and Blair Athol distilleries to add them to Robin’s visit list. A brief stroll around Pitlochry invariably ended up with a visit to Robertsons of Pitlochry. Their Whisky selection is extensive and the staff are friendly, thoroughly educated when it comes to whisky and are not shy to offer you a taste of highland hospitality. This sample comes courtesy of Ewan at Robertsons who was telling us the plans to extend the shop tasting area to host more whisky (also wine, & gin) tastings in the future along with their expansion of their online whisky sales from the Robertsons of Pitlochry website. This single cask Blair Athol from Langside’s Hepburn’s Choice range was selected and bottled exclusively for Robertsons of Pitlochry.

Colour:

Faint champagne gold (2/20) fine tears and legs

Nose:

Toffee, nut brittle, Victoria sponge cake with plenty of fresh cream and light fruity strawberry jam, vanilla and sugar sweetness, fairy cake mix, light malty barley, touches of honey and caramel

Taste:

Sweet Victoria sponge cake, vanilla cream or buttercream, jammy fruit, biscuit and fudge malt, like good Scottish tablet, lightly nutty, peanut brittle, hazelnut

Finish:

Medium, sweet tablet, fudge and caramel

Overall:

Initially quite light this has some depth of cake, caramel and lightly toasted hazelnut

Score: 84/100

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