Mini SBT from Yamamichi-san

Recently, I received inquiries asking why there were no blind tasting articles. In fact, I've been doing quite a few. It's not that I'm avoiding sharing them; rather, I've been deliberately holding back because they're quite revealing (laughs). I wanted to take the time to think through them thoroughly and use them as nourishment for my own knowledge, but they've been piling up due to the time it takes to write articles about them. I'll be posting them gradually again. This is a blind tasting sample provided by my malt friend Yamamichi-san. I'm grateful and have taken the challenge. Mini SBT from Yamamichi-san ・Aroma: Well-ripened, matured barley with a clear presence of vanilla cream, cinnamon, ginger. From the depths come fragrant pears and apples, rock candy, soft oak, and a hint of peat. A subtle sense of aging after bottling is also detectable. ・Flavor: Expands powerfully and aromatically with a rich, diverse fruity profile. A textured, slightly sticky mouthfeel with apricot tea, pears, melon, apples, fruit cake. The barley's savory depth is infused with a honey-like sweetness and a gentle, aged woodiness accompanied by faint hinoki (Japanese cypress) notes. The tannins are not harsh, and a solid old peat character lingers with an intoxicating finish. ・Overall Impression: The whisky has a strong sense of maturity while retaining its barley character, accompanied by a diverse range of fruits. There's a pleasant old-world feel from the peat and woodiness, with hints of long maturation, yet surprisingly no overtly over-ripe characteristics. Overall, it's a classic long-matured Speyside malt in cask strength. While not overly assertive, the woody and peaty nuances reminded me of the Strathisla (a type of whisky), leading me to guess that first. The subtle woody and peaty notes also made me consider Glenlivet or Bruichladdich as possibilities. However, these bottles typically don't have such a high alcohol content image, which was a bit confusing. The peat is somewhat strong. I considered whether it's the result of aging or from a more peaty distillery style, but leaning towards the former based on the nuances in the finish. The slight stickiness and apricot tea-like qualities made me think of Clydesdale, but I have limited experience with old peated whiskies and it wasn't as peaty as Broullach. Despite its age, the whisky still has a powerful presence with lingering barley flavors. Focusing on the hinoki notes, Keith or Bruichladdich (outside of Speyside) also came to mind. Regardless, it was an exceptionally delicious sample. [Very Good] Predicted Distillery: ① Strathisla, ② Glenlivet, ③ Bruichladdich Distillation Year: Distilled in the early 1960s, bottled in the late 1980s/early 1990s Maturation Age: Approximately 35 years Alcohol Content: Around 50% ABV Cask Type: Vatted (blended) I sent a response email with these tasting notes and predictions. The correct answer is... BALVENIE 1974-1990 15yo Signatory vintage 57.1% Cask no.18103～18130, one of 1300 bottles This was a high-proof Signatory BALVENIE from the early 1970s, matured for 15 years. It's a vatting of several casks, which is common in Signatory releases from that era. It had a classic Speyside character with the apricot tea-like notes I often associate with BALVENIE, so I was somewhat convinced about the distillery upon hearing it. Regarding alcohol content, I had expected around 50%, but it was actually 57.1%. It didn't feel that high-proof, as the person who provided it also mentioned. I think some of the alcohol may have evaporated during aging in the bottle. The resulting fruitiness and elegance that emerged with this evaporation made me perceive it as more mature than its actual aging period. While I was somewhat satisfied with the tasting, my predictions were off for each category. If I had properly evaluated the evaporation and dryness that come with aging, I might have made slight adjustments. I often thought that elements emerging from post-bottling evaporation and dryness share similarities with those from long maturation, but I believed they could often be distinguished by old-world characteristics and mouthfeel texture. However, this time I couldn't differentiate them, which was a good reminder of my own shortcomings. Regardless of the predictions, it was an exceptionally delicious sample and I'm very satisfied. And to my surprise, I realized again how much I enjoy BALVENIE. Thank you, Yamamichi-san, for providing such a wonderful bottle to taste. #BALVENIE (BALVENIE) #SBT