Balmenach shines bright on sherry maturation
The sadly overlooked whisky production side of the Balmenach Distillery is a thorn in my side. This quite singular and characterful single malt deserves so much more spotlight than being a black sheep next to the popular gin Caorunn, that is also produced on site. Of all the distilleries in the Inver House portfolio, Balmenach is the only one without its own bottling. All production, close to 3 million capacity, goes to blending. Lucky for us, sometimes a cask drops off the wagon, and into the hands of independent bottlers. More so than ever, actually. We picked up two of those, both at 100 proof, and more or less the same age. That makes it fun to compare!
Balmenach 2011, bottled at 57,1 % abv by Malts of Scotland
First things first: This Balmenach 2011 was bottled in 2022 after a finish in an Amontillado sherry hogshead. The cask reference at Malts of Scotland was # 22026. Yield of 271 bottles.
Upon Sipping: Very rich and prominent, with lots of herbal notes rising from the glass. Some red fruit mingled with sawdust, and old furniture in a forgotten storage room. The tasty is savoury sweet, with beautiful spices from the sherry. The Amontillado is most pronounced, there is no denying that, but it leaves a welcome mark. The Balmenach spirit stands up to it very well. The meaty character of this single malt gets a chance to shine bright. With water, more dunnage warehouse on the nose, dry concrete, earthen floor, all combined. With some diluting, the flavours come out better, even though it leans a tad too much to bitter notes. With this kind of pure chocolate and raisin delight, I won’t complain. Hints of tobacco as we move on, and nice oaky and nutty notes fight for attention. On the finish, this Balmenach turned a bit more gruesome. Drink this one in your leather chair, the mood will fit the whisky in the glass. The black cherries you will find make for a pleasant evening.
Word to the Wise: Impressive Balmenach, that marries all the qualities of the spirit with the heavy influence of the cask. Unbelievable we do not see more of this distillery from the owners.
Score: 87 points.
Balmenach 2016, 9 years old, bottled at 57,1 % by Signatory Vintage
First things first: Edition # 57 of the Signatory 100 proof series, bottled on 13 June 2025 from first fill oloroso sherry butts.
Upon Sipping: A good sherry butt is not easily surpassed in quality. Let us see how Balmenach prospered from these vessels. Sticking my nose in the glass, the impression is simple: this is way more classic sherried malt than the Malts of Scotland above. Raisins, nuttiness, as basket full of overripe cherries, and always this meaty character that so defines strong malts like Mortlach, Benrinnes, Dailuaine and yes, also Balmenach. Singular stuff. The taste is a tad more middle of the road in comparison, and is surprisingly dry towards the finish. Here, a big overdose of hazelnut dominates the impressions.
Word to the Wise: Good and decent stuff, satisfying, but a bit too mundane to stand out. Maybe it suffers from comparison with the Amontillado expression.
Score: 84 points.