Ballantine's Finest

Nose: Mild cereal and malt aromas with vanilla and pear notes. There is an ethanol presence but it’s not off-putting. Palate: A little hot on the arrival and you taste the nip of ethanol. Barley sugar and orchard fruits but the palate is very light and has a dash of vanilla sweetness. I didn't detect any smoke or peat - I feel that anything resembling that is more likely a tannic character imparted by old refill casks. Finish: Short, with a tinge of hard and bitter notes in the aftertaste, most likely from very young, pedestrian-grade grain whisky matured in tired old casks (a fault which is shared by most of the lower-tier blended scotches). Not a particularly interesting whisky but not unpleasant either. It’s an acceptable workhorse but don’t expect too much from what is one of the more affordable blended scotches. Water brings out a sweetness on the palate and as a mixer it adds a slightly sweet, cereal, vanilla and fruity background. A dash of water brings out a little sweetness on the palate. As a mixer it adds a slightly sweet, cereal, vanilla and fruity background. Not too bad on the whole, considering the price point, but it is up against some stiff competition, not the least from stablemate blended scotch Ballantines 12 Year Old, which is very much cut from the same cloth but ramps everything up a couple of notches. There is not a lot of difference in price so if you can find the 12 year old on special it is better value for money. “Adequate” : 73/100 (2.25 stars)

good entry-level budget scotch. available everywhere, so i end up drinking it quite frequently. on the rocks makes it more drinkable. not bad, but it's limited, not too complex. party whisky vibes. need to drink it again to review it properly, don't know if i'll buy a bottle of it anytime soon. got the new and the old bottle which shows a very nice design change. v2: after drinking a lot more whisky, i can confidently say this became quite underwhelming. very basic. drinkable, but not exciting enough for a tasting. nose: sweet, kind of like if you left a lollipop out in the sun and smelt the melted and toasted sugar, a bit flowery like orange flowers, vanilla too ofc mouth: very bland and short finish, a bit smoky but not peaty, australian bread bitter, melted chocolate (but not in a good way), a bit oily too

2nd tasting of this 2 years on - wanted to see where Ballantines ranks in 2022 and if anything's changed with the fresh, post-pandemic batches: Nose - still astringent and young as I'd expect for a £15 blend Palate: smooth milk chocolate, apples, salted caramel, gentle peat smoke Finish: gentle peat smoke This batch seems smoother, slightly less harsh on the smoke note and for a £15 bottle, has an exceptionally well balanced blend, with a much more interesting palate than it's price competitors and even plenty mid range single malts I've tasted. For this reason I'm going to bump up my previous rating of 3.75 to a 4. If your looking for a bargain blend that delivers the absolute max for it's young age, this is the one!

The most popular variety of this whiskey. Under the brand name "Ballantines" today, six types of whiskey are produced, from the classic Finest to the elite whiskey of 30-year aging. Finest is a soft blend of 50 varieties of malt whiskey, leaving a pleasant aftertaste with notes of vanilla, apple and chocolate. Aroma with nutty notes. More seasoned Ballantine's (12, 17, 21 Years Old) have a complex, multi-faceted taste with a smoky touch. The composition of the blends does not change for decades and is kept strictly secret. Good popular whiskey, good quality. In general, Scotch whiskey has a smoky taste, and in this regard, it is more interesting than Irish and American.

Olfato: adocicado, whisky de grãos, leve defumado, frutado de maçãs vermelhas e pêssegos em calda, baunilha, amanteigado suave, açúcar branco, mel, leve floral, leve cítrico de laranjas doces e boa percepção de álcool. Paladar: dulçor, picância, calor do álcool, frutado, cítrico, bom amargor e levemente amanteigado. Finalização: curta com calor do álcool predominante, algum dulçor e amargor residuais. Impressões gerais: whisky de entrada, simples mas redondinho, que esconde bem o álcool. Ideal para drinks e misturas com refrigerantes ou energéticos.

Nose: light sweetness, honey, vanilla, light fruitiness, apple, pear, light malt, lightly toasted bread or cereal grain notes, a slightest touch of an orange marmalade note maybe? Taste: fairly simple and reflecting of the characteristics of the nose, a smoky char that settles in with a pepper touch, finish fades kinda quick with a little herbal-like quality at the end. Decent scotch and for the price but nothing that will make you think this is exceptional. There are far worse out there for sure. Give it a spin, it’s budget friendly.