Balmenach 2011 / 10 Year Old / Virgin Oak / Hart Brothers Speyside Whisky

Marcus Chen — Good but not quite worth the ask

7/10

Decent whisky but at nearly a hundred quid I expected a bit more complexity. Nose is lovely — toffee, oak, some gentle fruit — but the finish drops off quicker than I'd like. The cask strength is nice and I appreciate it being non-chill filtered, but there are better Speysides at this price point. I'd buy it at £75, not £99.

Sophia Laurent — Good but not quite worth the ask

7/10

Decent whisky but at nearly a hundred quid I expected a bit more complexity. Nose is lovely — toffee, oak, some gentle fruit — but the finish drops off quicker than I'd like. The cask strength is nice and I appreciate it being non-chill filtered, but there are better Speysides at this price point. I'd buy it at £75, not £99.

Idris Ibrahim — Good but not quite worth the ask

7/10

Decent whisky but at nearly a hundred quid I expected a bit more complexity. Nose is lovely — toffee, oak, some gentle fruit — but the finish drops off quicker than I'd like. The cask strength is nice and I appreciate it being non-chill filtered, but there are better Speysides at this price point. I'd buy it at £75, not £99.

Daniel Torres — Surprising depth for a 10 year old

8/10

Grabbed this on a whim at a tasting event and came away impressed. The virgin oak really accelerates the maturation — you'd swear this was older. Lots of warming spice and dried fruit on the palate, with a long peppery finish. I usually take my Speysides with a splash of water and this one definitely benefits from it at cask strength.

Aria Kim — Surprising depth for a 10 year old

8/10

Grabbed this on a whim at a tasting event and came away impressed. The virgin oak really accelerates the maturation — you'd swear this was older. Lots of warming spice and dried fruit on the palate, with a long peppery finish. I usually take my Speysides with a splash of water and this one definitely benefits from it at cask strength.

James Okafor — Surprising depth for a 10 year old

8/10

Grabbed this on a whim at a tasting event and came away impressed. The virgin oak really accelerates the maturation — you'd swear this was older. Lots of warming spice and dried fruit on the palate, with a long peppery finish. I usually take my Speysides with a splash of water and this one definitely benefits from it at cask strength.

Finn OBrien — Virgin oak does wonders here

9/10

I'm a sucker for virgin oak maturation and this one nails it. Big bold flavours — rich caramel, toasted coconut, dark chocolate, and a peppery kick from that 58.6% ABV. Had it neat over the course of an evening and it just kept opening up. Hart Brothers picked a cracking cask here. One of the better independent Balmenach bottlings I've tried.

Sibel Nur — Virgin oak does wonders here

9/10

I'm a sucker for virgin oak maturation and this one nails it. Big bold flavours — rich caramel, toasted coconut, dark chocolate, and a peppery kick from that 58.6% ABV. Had it neat over the course of an evening and it just kept opening up. Hart Brothers picked a cracking cask here. One of the better independent Balmenach bottlings I've tried.

Daniel Oyama — Virgin oak does wonders here

9/10

I'm a sucker for virgin oak maturation and this one nails it. Big bold flavours — rich caramel, toasted coconut, dark chocolate, and a peppery kick from that 58.6% ABV. Had it neat over the course of an evening and it just kept opening up. Hart Brothers picked a cracking cask here. One of the better independent Balmenach bottlings I've tried.

Natasha Volkov — Punchy Speyside with real character

8/10

This Balmenach packs a serious punch at 58.6% but don't let that scare you off. The virgin oak gives it loads of vanilla and baking spice up front, almost bourbon-like, with a nice honeyed sweetness underneath. I added a few drops of water and got dried apricot and a hint of cinnamon. Really enjoyable dram for something only 10 years old.

Kwame Mensah — Punchy Speyside with real character

8/10

This Balmenach packs a serious punch at 58.6% but don't let that scare you off. The virgin oak gives it loads of vanilla and baking spice up front, almost bourbon-like, with a nice honeyed sweetness underneath. I added a few drops of water and got dried apricot and a hint of cinnamon. Really enjoyable dram for something only 10 years old.

Isabella Rossi — Punchy Speyside with real character

8/10

This Balmenach packs a serious punch at 58.6% but don't let that scare you off. The virgin oak gives it loads of vanilla and baking spice up front, almost bourbon-like, with a nice honeyed sweetness underneath. I added a few drops of water and got dried apricot and a hint of cinnamon. Really enjoyable dram for something only 10 years old.