Like London buses...
Balblair 03 1st Release 2003/2015 (46%, OB Vintage, DL10975): nose: crisp and fresh, here are brine-y apple slices and sea breeze that seem to carry a spoonful of pitch, which, somehow, adds a waxy-soot-y note. Freshness is the ordre du jour, however, and there is no major deviation from it. I had a friend with a dog named Hardois (a Bouvier des Flandres); for a reason I cannot explain, this nose reminds me of that dog, coming home after a brisk early-morning walk in the autumn. In the long run, the minute waxy note morphs into set nail varnish, or shellac, and becomes a little more identifiable. There is also dry hay, as one tilts the glass to drink from it. The second nose has a pleasant blackcurrant custard, and the clean rubber soles of a pair of brand-new green wellies. Mouth: a little green, here. Wax is certainly more present, chewy and bitter (it is not honey, after all), sappy as a tree can be in autumn. The second sip is just as green, bitter... and rough, really. We have overly-infused green tea, sappy leaves and grape stems. Finish: less bitterness, more fruitiness. Plump dark berries (blueberries, brambles, elderberries, blackcurrants), and the earthy vibe that sometimes comes along -- oh! this one is earthy alright, ready to make one believe in whisky terroir. Repeated sipping brings back the grape stems from the palate, unfortunately. It is not intolerable, but also not something I would seek out. Green-hazelnut paste, unripe walnuts as well. Over time, a certain fruity sweetness returns, yet it can no longer defeat the overarching bitterness that has taken over. Pity. 6/10
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