Whisky: Blair Athol, Whisky UA "Resistance UA"

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 50%

Cask: First Fill Cave Dourthe Red Wine

Age: NAS (Bottled 2022)

Nose: Ripe red fruits, berries, apples, musty earth, mellow nougat and caramel with hints of pepper; fruity candies and strawberry licorice appeared with more time.

Palate: Medium-bodied, though on the lighter side, red fruits and musty basement, a tinge of iron against pepper and caramel apples, earth with a touch of dark chocolate, dark malty bread, slightly bitter toward the end with fruit skins and pepper.

Finish: Medium-length with tingling peppercorns and red fruits.

Score: 7 (80)

Mental Image: Orchards Awaiting Harvest

Narrative & Notes: I did not quite know how to score this. On the one hand, it was a charity bottle, and as such, there was an inclination to round up on the score: good vibes matter in whisky. On the other hand, this really was one of the better Blair Athols I had this week when going through my various samples and bottles, so there was no denying I enjoyed it.

There was plenty to enjoy here, as the red wine cask maturation played wonderfully well with Blair Athol's fruity and malty qualities. I can think of only a few distilleries, Glentauchers among them, that are consistently excellent in wine or sherry, especially when the abv is reduced to 46-50%. There was a touch of bitterness toward the end, almost dark chocolate or something dirtier, but a few drops of water smoothed it out and elevated more frosted pastries and subtle floral qualities.