Bladnoch Pure Lowland Malt (c. 1970s)
Whisky: Bladnoch Pure Lowland Malt (c. 1970s)
Country/Region: Scotland/Lowland
ABV: 40%
Cask: Oak Barrel
Nose: Big tropical fruits and wood, faint baking spices and walnuts, citrus and tropical fruit gummies, hints of tobacco and plant decay.
Palate: Light-bodied and vibrant, tropical fruits, cured wood, and mellow earth, oranges and pineapples, molasses, motor oil, canvas, and earthy clay
Finish: Medium-length and a touch drying with subtle tropical fruit, earth, and wood.
Score: 7+
Mental Image: Christmas in Hilo
Narrative & Notes: Big tropical fruits and gummy candies with a backing of polished rattan furniture. A gummy buffet with lemon peel, pineapple, guava, vanilla, and musk left me recalling Christmas in my good friend’s grandmother’s living room. Perhaps the canvas and rattan that hung back a bit with earthy ginger, molasses, walnut, and cooking oil excavated those memories. A touch of tobacco and damp tropical decay lingered around the edges. Light-bodied with a vibrant flavor profile of tropical fruits, wood, and subtle earth. The mild spirit presented mellow notions of tropical fruits from Tahitian oranges to pineapple to guava and hints of ginger and molasses in between. A touch of motor oil arrived late with rattan furniture, canvas, and muddy tropical trails or clay stream banks. The finish was medium-length and a touch drying with subtle tropical fruit, earth, and wood.
Honestly, if I could drink this every day, I would. I understand if others find the spirit a bit too mild and quiet; it certainly lacked the intensity of the cask-strength peat monsters I frequently enjoy. But I have never been overly concerned about abv, and I have had a fair number of malts where I thought the whisky would have been better bottled at a lower abv. If I looked back through all my notes, I have probably wished for a higher abv more often than a lower one, but it happens.
After about a half-century in glass and bottled at 40%, this was never going to punch you in the teeth with flavors. However, I should not have been surprised just how fragrant it was after some prior encounters with similar vintage malts. The intensity of the flavors increased nicely, and a vague sort of wax or cream developed with time.
Overall, a wonderful old-school malt with some interesting flavors that varied from tropical to slightly industrial. I love a whisky with a bit of nostalgia baked into it, so your mileage may vary on that front.
Image Credit: Old & Rare Whisky
