Provenance Blair Athol 10 Year Old - Douglas Laing's

Delicate, Juicy, Oak, Vanilla
2023-02-12
Although Blair Athol is not a small distillery, its Single Malts are not among the best known. Over 90% of the production goes into Bell's blended Scotch. Today we have a 10-year-old independent bottling of a single Blair Athol cask from Douglas Laing's Provenance series in the glass.
Provenance Blair Athol 10 Year Old - Douglas Laing's
Provenance Blair Athol 10 Year Old - Douglas Laing's (@whiskyedition)
Single Malt Whisky | 10 Year Old | 46,00 % ABV. | 67,07 €/l | Blair Athol Distillery | bottled by Douglas Laing | produced in Scotland (Highlands) | Whiskybase ID 151877

Smell

On the nose, the Single Malt is soft and sweet. We think of freshly baked butter cake. This is joined by notes of vanilla, honey and oats. The aroma is rounded off by a pleasant maltiness complemented by cereals.

Taste

On the palate, the Blair Athol is not as soft as the nose suggested. Caramel toffee, honey and vanilla are joined by surprisingly spicy flavours. Intense oak leaves a distinct tingle on the tongue despite the creamy mouthfeel. Despite its age, the spiciness verges on light ethanol pepperiness.

Finish

The medium-long finish is also dominated by toasted oak spice. This leaves a clear bitterness on the palate. Behind this, there is still some grain and hints of dark chocolate.

Thoughts

We are not sure where this Single Cask Scotch Whisky wants to lead us. Sweetness competes with spice and bitterness and leaves us with a somewhat unround feeling. The journey is interesting and definitely worth tasting, but the flavours could be integrated a little better in the overall composition.

Rating: 66/100 - Good (Marcel: 65 | Sascha: 67)

Value for Money: 3/5 - Acceptable

Preview Image Source: The Whisky Exchange
DE | EN
About us
How we evaluate