Since it may be named neither Balvenie nor Burnside, the name of the bottler will do. This is a sample I never got to try in Limburg, this year. Something I later discovered we had previously.
Blended Malt 27yo 1994/2021 (47.5%, Le Gus't Selection for Nanyang Whisky, Bourbon Hogshead, C#3525, 240b): nose: oh! how welcoming. Plump citrus slices, peach jelly, lemon curd, fresh brie. This promises all things soft and unctuous. Only after a couple of minutes does it sport a woody yoghurt -- with more emphasis on yoghurt than on wood. Then, it is smashed pineapple and white-grapefruit pulp. Unexpectedly, it acquires a more autumnal side, with tree bark, a creamy mushroom sauce and forest floor in a dense pine forest, yet it inexorably comes back to fruitier tones, citrus peels leading. The second nose has citrus-scented biscuits that have been drying for too long in an open tin and are no longer that enticing, too crumbly and dry. There are also dried-out flowers in there, probably carnations. Further nosing picks up a clean and fresh scent, maybe a cleaning agent of sorts. It is tempting to say, "pine-scented," but it is a far cry from the vulgar exuberance of such products. Also, it competes with a net of mandarines. Mouth: mellow with an undeniable-if-gentle bitterness. More citrus peels, tangerine segments and juicy freshness. Chewing releases a leafier note, likely citrus foliage, dried, bitter and a tad medicine-like (in a good way). We have mandarine foliage, tangerine leaves rubbed in chalk, citrus-flavoured Alka Seltzer, dried orange slices. Whether it is the sample or the fact am trying this on a fresh palate, I do not know, but it is clearly more bitter than the first time we had it. Fruity too, but in a way that suggests pressed citrus mixed with mortar. The second sip is bitterer and leafier yet, dangerously tickling washing-up liquid. It takes all 47.5% to cover that up so it remains acceptable, but it is not a nice surprise. Further sipping increases the soapy side upon entry. It takes chewing and seconds of determined patience for that soap to fade away and leave the stage to dried citrus zest, sawdust and ginger powder. Finish: Seville-orange marmalade, fruity and bitter, long and calmly woody. We spot stem ginger, drained, rinsed and dried, Alka Seltzer residue in an empty glass. To call it chalky would be reductive; it is not merely chalk but citrus-flavoured chalk. The second gulp has virtually none of the detergent from the palate; only fragrant citrus leaves, some grated effervescent tablet (it is less clear whether it is Alka Seltzer again) and dried-out orange zest. A citrus-y-chalky number augmented with timid wood spices (cinnamon and cured ginger). It mostly redeems the somewhat-shaky mouth -- phew! Repeated quaffing adds more wood spices: ginger powder, asafoetida, mango powder. It has a pinch of baking powder too that nurtures grated Alka Seltzer tablet. Perhaps I should have emptied this sample sooner. I am not enthused, today. It is decent, with a good nose and honest finish, but I find the mouth a struggle, at times. In my head, the score goes from 8 to 7 to 6 to 7 again. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, Savoureur)
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