Cadenheads Bladnoch 25 year old

I'm often asked what my favourite distilleries are and it is a question that I struggle to nail down to a single consistent response. Truth be told I do love 'em all each for different reasons.

Take the Lowland distillery of Bladnoch which is stunning setting near the town of Wigtown. It has a special place in many enthusiasts heart's because of the previous owner's efforts in bringing it back to life. Now it is under new ownership and about to embark on another instalment in its history.

By adding Ian MacMillan to this new team, Bladnoch has jumped up in my anticipated charts. The former Master Distiller at Deanston distillery in recent times has propelled the distillery to new heights added by the team around him. Now what can he achieve at the sleeping giant that is Bladnoch?

Only time will tell, but for now we're going for a walk down memory lane with this 25 year old Bladnoch bottled by Cadenhead's. I've rarely been disappointed by independent bottlings from this distillery and acquired this sample with a recent visit to the excellent London branch of Cadenhead's. You should be able to pick this up by visiting any of their shops if you're looking to try it for yourself. If you're in London do make the effort to drop by and take in their fine selection of releases at very reasonable prices.

This is bottled at 50.7% strength and is 25 years of age.

Colour: pear juice
Nose: a delightful nose with pineapples, apples smoked lemon, sunflower oil nad resin. There's fir tree and almonds here with coconut and sherbet. Water adds more of a floral dimension and ups the juicy apple quota.
Taste: very drinkable at cask strength. More green apples along with grapefruit and white grapes. More white in the form of chocolate followed with vanilla pod. Very dignified and rounded with a lingering finish of white pepper.

Overall: a big thumbs up and just underlines how good Bladnoch can be. Thankfully its back in production with a significant inventory amongst its sizeable warehouses. The challenge is to match up to what has gone before and that's a big ask but one I'm sure the new team can rise to.