Bladnoch Adela 15 Year

Wow, what life and richness! Martinelli's and apricot are nested among almonds with a little coconut. There are some spices and the flavor is rich and delicious. This tastes like a premium Scotch with its delightful balance of flavors and couple of punches of excellent flavor. It may not be perfect, but it's hard to come up with something more successful. This is to Macallan 15 as Macallan 15 is to Green Spot. It's a stunning masterpiece from an unexpected place. It is less I -your-face than Macallan 15 is, but it is more balanced and rich. The flavors develop over the sip, increasing the complexity. It's tasty like Glenfarclas 25, but less dry. The spices add interest and tend a bit toward ginger, but this is not as dry as Glenfarclas 25. There are plenty of baking spices and the wood is prominent, making it taste and look at least 5 years older than it actually is and maybe even 10 years older. It's really quite a find. It's super good. It smells scotchy with a little bit of sweet red fruit and some nice almond bordering on marzipan. The nose also has some rich truffle. There's some initial harshness on the palate, but it quickly gives way to complex flavors. There are some of those mineral elements that often bring out gross bread, but not in a bad way. It's a bit harsher than expected, but the complexity is there and it is quite balanced. There are notes of cherry and almond that are quite nice. There's a nice balance here with quite a bit going on. Spice leaps out with some harshness. There are some smoky, seaside notes too and the barrel plays a big part in developing the backdrop. Almond comes in nicely, giving the flavor a richness. The sherried backdrop is quite tasty as well, though I'd like it a bit darker. There is leather, but it is far from overwhelming. The nose reminds me of Westward and the Bladnoch 17. It has some smoke and overripe fruit with some malt and sweet caramel with a little bit of wood. The palate is nicely woody with fruity sweetness and malty richness. Some hints of milk chocolate come in and there's a good balance of spiciness making it taste full and rich. There's so much flavor and complexity here. It sometimes doesn't all quite fit together beautifully, but it swirls in a decadent and interesting manner. If be delighted to sip this. There's a bit of butterscotch to the caramel, but I would have liked it to be more. There's some nice mild leather in with the smoke that blends with the tannins smoothly. Some raisins, dried figs, and dates all come out. I would have preferred a slightly different flavor profile, but it's complex and interesting with a solid richness (at least for its age). The fruitiness with the richness and the sweetness and balanced spice is really nice. This is truly an enjoyable scotch to drink.

Review #014 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 46.7% Comments: aged 15 years, ex-oloroso butt maturation Tasted after: Bladnoch Vinaya Appearance (no score): Auburn color. Swirling reveals a thin line sticking to the side of the glass, it starts to bead up quickly but legs are slow to form. Nose: 17/20 Raisins, almonds, and honey dominate. When I put the glass down there’s a fleeting smell of rich soil that lingers for a moment in my nostrils. Palate: 36/40 So smooth on the palate with so much red fruit flavor. Cherries and red currents mostly, but there’s raisins, dark chocolate, and baking spices here too. It’s sweet but not overly so, and well balanced. Finish: 33/40 Medium long finish, there’s a nice low-key ethanol burn accompanied by candied ginger and black pepper, then ends with a mild salty flavor. With Water: A drop of water is beneficial here, it makes the palate brighter, crisper, smoother, and a little sweeter. The ethanol burn in the finish is mildly diminished also. Total: 86/100 Final thoughts: A really enjoyable sherry bomb, purchasing this bottle makes me very happy to own a cask of Bladnoch maturing in an ex-olorosso hogshead. Price: $135 Would recommend: yes Would buy: yes Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

Nose: sherry bomb, raisins, prunes, but also honey, praline nuts and caramel. Palate: always a lot of sherry, with caramelized sugar, milk chocolate, honey, light wood flavor impregnated (always) with sherry: particular but not unpleasant. I also feel a very pleasant rum taste, almost as if part of the barrels used have been used for this in the past. It is very sweet and delicate, warm and enveloping, not a note out of place other than a slight excess of caramel. It should be allowed to breathe a little before being appreciated at its best. Final: medium-long with sherry, very fine milk chocolate and raisins. A very good and high quality product, you can perceive the attention paid to the preparation and maturation. 4.50 rating ___________________________________________________________________ Naso: bomba di sherry, uvetta, prugne secche, ma anche miele, noci pralinate e caramello. Palato: sempre molto sherry, con zucchero caramellato, cioccolato al latte, miele, leggero sapore di legno impregnato (sempre) di sherry: particolare ma non spiacevole. Avverto anche un piacevolissimo sapore di rum, quasi che parte delle botti usate siano state in passato usate per questo. È molto dolce e delicato, caldo e avvolgente, non una nota fuori posto se non un leggero eccesso di caramello. Va fatto respirare un po’ prima di essere apprezzato al meglio. Finale: medio lungo allo sherry, cioccolato finissimo al latte e uvetta. Un prodotto molto valido e di alta qualità, si percepisce l’attenzione posta nella preparazione e maturazione. Voto 4,50

My first Bladnoch, was this 15yo Adela, which is a pretty interesting dram, fairly good for a lowland whisky and complex enough to get a high score. Beautiful bottle and the promise of the flavors and aromas from the oloroso sherry casks. Bottled at 46.7%abv, tawny color. On the nose, very appealing. Chocolate milk powder; Amaretto, Nutty; Hanuta, Coconut, Liquorice, caramelized apple and cherries. After the first sip it gets much more floral and earthy. It has this sown land aroma, or a floral field. On the palate, it is better than the nose. That is not so usual. Cherries, a nice fruity spiciness; astringent. Red fruits and a strong Chili spice. Old winey raisins. Second sip reveals more vanilla and chocolate. Aftertaste keeps the same profile of the palate, with Chocolate, red fruits, and chilli notes. Bitter Tobacco and Earthy peat. Long salty finish. Overall this is a solid dram. I wasn't sure of what to expect, but the complexity of the flavors and the different layers you can find in it makes it an interesting spirit. I would have only a drink or two, because it is not my kind of whisky, since the chilli note is way too potent (but not unpleasant) and it feels like drinking the whole bottle would take years. 89 over 100 is a fair score for it.

Nose - Cherry & strawberry cough drops, canned cranberry sauce, dark honey, dark toffee Taste - Sweet cherry/strawberry/fresh dark stone fruits, hint of dark chocolate, dark toffee, light candied ginger spice, light stone fruit pit bitterness on backend Finish - Long lasting dark stone fruit sweet, hint of bitterness lingers, light white pepper tingle, cocoa nib bitterness Score - 84/100 Final Thoughts - The nose on this one screams dessert dram. I have a feeling this would be the perfect pairing to a dark chocolate cake or anything else that has some sort of berry compote to help complement the light bitterness that this dram has with it. The nose is great but can probably get a bit overwhelmingly sweet for some. Starts out great on the tongue, but transitions to this light metallic bitterness that I occasionally get with some oloroso finished Scotches. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe, with dessert Would I buy a bottle? - Probably not another

End of a long work day. Already had a headache from staring at a goddamn screen all day. It knew it was ill-advised, but I poured a dram of Glendronach 12 as my “unwind at the end of the day” scotch. The second I whiffed it, the sweetness literally sent a stabbing pain through my eye. Don’t speculate about medical conditions, I’m just saying that saccharine shit made my headache worse. I needed something dark and smooth like Quincy Jones, something higher proof, definitely not sweet. Something peppery and savory, oily and nutty. I knew what my head needed and it was this. Coarse ground peppercorns on the nose, a full mouthfeel and a punch of alcohol that’s somehow mellow and even-tempered. The finish was long and relaxing. It delivered everything I needed to prepare me to listen to my wife complain about the kids with an amused smile and to treat the little dickens with indulgence and a gentle hand.