Blackadder’s Auld Edinburgh Highland single malt
Blackadder is an independent bottler that I believe coloured the beginning of the whisky journey for a lot of my contemporaries. The products from this in 1995 established company were (and are) readily available in my country, so obviously some bottles made it to my shelf too. The company was started by Robin Tucek and John Lamond, the latter the author of one of the first whisky books I bought, “The Malt Whisky File”. I loved that one to pieces, and was the basis of my admiration for the whisky industry. When visiting festivals, it was always a delight to meet Robin Tucek and his charming daughter Hannah with their own Blackadder stand. The whiskies spoke for themselves; raw, pure, honest stuff. My dear whisky friend Erik got himself a bottle of the whisky we are going to taste today. Undisclosed single malt, and no idea about the intention of the “Auld Edinburgh” label, but let’s have ourselves a dram!
Auld Edinburgh Highland 10 years old, bottled at 43 % abv by Blackadder
First things first: From the days that undisclosed malts were much more rare, this Auld Edinburgh Highland is, according to the label, a single malt, with cask reference AE003. It was bottled in July 2004. Nothing added, and a quaint picture of the Edinburgh Castle on the label.
Upon Sipping: I truly do not understand the idea. Edinburgh is firmly lowland of course, but in the glass we have a highland whisky. Blackadder was known for bottling quite some undisclosed Glenfarclas, who themselves always rather identified more as highland instead of Speyside. Will we be able to guess what is in the glass? Very light in colour, and opening with a rather funky smell, which makes me depart from the idea that this is Glenfarclas straight away. It is not without a certain meaty aroma, mushrooms in gravy, but at the same time also some vanilla and wooded influences. The early to mid-1990s were weird years for the whisky industry. Just crawling back up from the 1980s recession, it was hit again with a minor wave of economic turmoil around 1993, when a few more distilleries got mothballed or closed. Bladnoch and Rosebank for instance both shut down in those days, even though both are up and running again nowadays. While I write this, more fruity notes emerge from the glass.
Taking a sip, the first impression is a surprisingly sweet one, with hints of tropical fruit. Yes, it is quite a bright and happy specimen, which takes me off guard after the brooding nose. Old style funk in the glass here!
Some hints of cardboard cannot be denied, which makes me wonder why the liquid was brought down to 43 % abv. It could have done with a bit more oomph, as they say. This is one to keep sipping from, very fresh and balanced for a single cask. The finish turns a bit dry after a while, with soft vanilla and even a hint of banana mousse. I could have easily mistaken this for a lowland single malt, I have to say.
Word to the Wise: These are fun bottlings to unearth from hidden shelfs or auctions, and I want to thank Erik for sharing a sample with me. If I had to venture a guess, I think Ben Nevis is the most safe choice, purely based on some typical funk on the nose. The palate creates doubt, but the fruity character could also be established by Ben Nevis. Your guess is as good as mine.
Score: 86 points.