Bladnoch 17 Year California Red Wine Cask Finish

This doesn't immediately hit me with that combination of balance, richness, and complexity that is characteristic of Bladnoch 15. It has some elements of I.W. Harper 15, Westward, Balcones American Single Malt, and Glenfiddich 14 - and they aren't wholly good elements. It has a richer, woodier version of the Harper cardboard flavor, with less vanilla. From Westward, it takes that young malt flavor, which is exacerbated when combined with the dryness and tartness of Balcones. Similarly, that dank malt flavor of Glenfiddich 14 comes in. On the long long finish, there's a pretty nice woody vanilla that isn't too heavy. Although the comparisons are not terribly flattering, I do like this scotch quite a bit. It just isn't on first taste the instant classic that the brand and price suggest. Some dryness comes from the red wine. It's fairly rich and fruity with some viscous mouthfeel and sweetness, but it isn't as delicious or complex as the Adela or Talia. It's interesting though and well-executed with a nice proof and rounded flavor. It's definitely richer than Oban Little Bay, though the sweetness of the Little Bay is appealing and it is not without complexity of its own. I'd call this a substantial improvement over Oban Little Bay, but not a tremendous improvement. There's some aged wood on the nose along with maltiness and some fruit from the wine that is like Oban Little Bay. There's a hint of spice (cinnamon on the nose too). It has that malty flavor mixed with some fruity sweetness from the wine. It's rich and tasty with a swirly malty flavor, but it never really settles on any flavor in particular. Plenty of vanilla comes out in the richness too, but there isn't a lot of sea spray or anything like that. There's a little smokiness that provides a nice balance, but doesn't overwhelm at all. It's more subdued than Westward, with more elements to it, it seems like Westward just picked a flavor and went for it (young though it may be) and this kind of messed up a beautiful 15 year old Scotch. It's very good, but I really expected better. The fruit is a bit strong and the other flavors don't bring in the complexities that I want them to. I guess it's comparable to Westward in terms of quality. It's too expensive for what it is, but I like to remember how good Bladnoch 15 Adela is when drinking it.

Nose - Heavy wine influence, almost sweet sherry/port like, muted vanilla mixed with oaky/tannic red wine, hint of ginger, citrus zest, grape skins, cherries Taste - Spicy white pepper/ginger spice/heat, drying tannic mouthfeel, cherries, caramel/toffee, oddly sweet, oranges, dried dark stone fruits Finish - Fading heat, lingering caramel/toffee notes, sweet toasted sugars, dark stone fruity sweet Score - 81/100 Final Thoughts - If I didn't know this was a red wine finish, I would've thought this was finished in a wet sweet sherry cask. I got the tannins from the red wine but that's about it. This was surprisingly sweet and oddly tannic. The flavors were pleasant for the most part, but the overall balance was off. I would classify it as very much a dessert dram as opposed to an everyday drinker. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - No

Welcoming change on the nose. The red wine is definitely really giving this whisky its character. There is grapes, raisins and a nice dry fruitiness. White chocolate. Butter. Warm molasses. Bitter orange. Generally really intense and full. But also really sharp on the nose already too. The palate hits your taste buds with a quite strong dry chili sensation at first. But after the initial sip it gets much more approachable. Spices yeah but now really flavorful ones. Ginger, Italian dry herbs, lavender (strange but yeah really). Bid of honey and even less vanilla. Not really sure how much of the red wine you actually get on the palate but together with the nose it is still very present and adds up to a nice combination experience. I must say while I’m not that much of a fan of the base whisky itself, the cask style I really liked and in my opinion it really adds to the dram experience.

A- amber +2 , medium viscosity N- walnuts, almonds, licorice, sweet ( honey, vanilla, toffee) fruity (dried fruits, apricots, plums), barley malt, oak P- a bit hot spicy arrival ( but pleasant), full, rich, oily, the nuttiness is impressive on this one (walnuts, almonds, nuts, pistachio) , sweet (honey, vanilla, toffee), fruity (dried fruits, plums, apricots, baked pears), barley malt, a bit dry, wet oak F- medium to long finish, nutty-sweet-oaky- dry aftertaste (love it) C- this is a good one guys, It’s nice the complexity it offers specially in the nutty site , a bit dry but is good

Nose: Zesty red wine, nuts with almonds at the forefront, malt, caramel, toffee, vanilla and hints of cherry. Palate: Somewhat viscous and rich, it is spicy with more red wine, maybe old vine Zinfandel, nuts, caramel, toffee, vanilla, honey, malt, a little musty, hints of barrel spice and cherries. Finish: Lengthy and a little peppery, with malt, dried red fruits, hints of nuttiness and shortbread. Seems a little out of balance with the red wine overpowering the base, but still very tasty. I would like to have a full bottle to explore. Thanks to @ContemplativeFox for the sample!

Prefer this to the 15yr Adela, not as sweet with plenty of barrel wood, spice and port wine fruit notes. Jumps out of the glass, so much flavour and honestly it’s packs so much flavour it’s buried the spirit. Love nosing this, has a lot to offer and the finish lingers forever. I like this a lot but it’s a port wine dominated whisky.