Today, we are having the first incarnation of the so-called Flora & Fauna offering. The seal on the stopper is cream, whereas later batches have a black seal (and are very good). This is also from before Bladnoch and its stock were sold to Raymond Armstrong, and even from before United Distillers mothballed the distillery.
Bladnoch 10yo b.1991 (43%, OB, L1H 270686): nose: the least one can say is that it is not particularly expressive from the off. Soon, yellow flowers appear: forsythia, kerria Japonica, daffodils. Then, yellow plums, unripe apricots and beeswax. It is very "yellow"! The nose becomes more fragrant as time passes, emitting pleasant 1980s cologne for women (Ispahan, Yves Rocher's Magnolia) that turns very flowery rather quickly (gorse bushes, honeysuckle), and still retains that soft-yet-persistent beeswax. As I tilt the glass, the back nose has more cologne -- for men, this time: Hoggar, Denim, Savane... It is pepperier, in any case. Weird. Mouth: mellow and silky, the palate sees a broth of yellow flowers, with a tiny drop of manuka honey and pressed yellow plums, verging on apricot nectar, if thinner. The reduction is obvious, unfortunately, which makes for a thin texture; it certainly does not cling. Diluted peach juice, perhaps almond milk. It is the flowers that dominate, though, with hints of fruits, rather than the opposite. Finish: despite the relative weakness of the mouth (in terms of alcoholic strength), the finish delivers. It is more of the same, with yellow flowers (buttercups, forsythia, kerria), unripe apricots, and not enough wax or honey to hide the bitterness of the flowers. White chocolate appears, which is as pleasant as it is surprising, ground almonds (skins on), orange rind, covered in pine sap -- all discreet, mind. This is simply a great sipper. I could drink this all night with friends, as if it were a bottle of Chablis. If only I had friends! 8/10
I'll be your friend!
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