Highly limited

Worth trying, if you come across it.

For the details…

Balmenach is unusual amongst modern malt distilleries in that it has had no official bottling in years, and is quite scarce even among independents. The whisky is well-known among aficionados as being a Speysider of the “older” style, producing a heavier spirit than has been typical of the region since the blend-based booms of the 1890s, and especially the 1960s. Since such older style whiskies often give backbone to a blend, they are highly prized by blenders, leaving relatively little for malt enthusiasts. Such seems to be the case with Balmenach, whose owner Inver House appears to be hoarding its whisky for its blends.

Balmenach was first licensed to James Macgregor in 1824, however, there had been illegal distilling for at least some time on the site prior to the Excise Act. It remained in the Macgregor family for most of the 19th century, and eventually passed into the hands of DCL in the early 20th. An official bottling was issued in the Flora and Fauna series in the early 1990s. It was mothballed by DCL’s successor company in the later 1990s, whereupon it was sold to Inver House. Inver House reopened the plant, and it has been in production since. 

This expression from 2004–after Inver House had resumed production–and bottled in 2012 is about 8 years old. Despite relative youth, it’s already a big, powerful, savory whisky with quite  a lot of character, and it’s easy to imagine it imparting much to a blend. This edition was part of the previous iteration of Gordon & Macphail’s long-standing, and ever evolving, Connoisseur’s Choice range.

Balmenach 2004 – Gordon & Macphail (Connoisseur’s Choice) 46% abv

Nose: Extremely malty, but also with an undertone of sulphur. Struck match. Cedar box. Toasted cereal. Salted tomato paste.

Body: Soft, medium; both slightly oily, and slightly chalky.

Palate: Quite big. Dried fruit—prunes? Granola. Cedar. Sulphur. Soy sauce. There are hints of oregano, too. Very mild smokiness. Quite dry overall. Some bitter orange rind.

Finish: Gentle wood smoke, drying, iron and table salt.

Score: 86/100

Who should buy it?: Because this was a limited bottling from more than a decade ago, any remaining bottles of this will be quite hard to find, so this is only worth pursuing for the enthusiast and completionist.

Overall thoughts: An intriguing and sturdy whisky with quite a lot of character. Definitely worth trying if you come across it.

Bottling Information:

Expression: Balmenach 2004 46% abv

Bottler: Gordon & Macphail

Range: Connoisseur’s Choice (2000s style)

Bottle Code: n/a

Presentation: Unchillfiltered and natural color

Details: Distilled 2004, bottled 2012, ~8 years old, matured in a refill sherry hogshead

Price: It was initially around $60 or thereabouts; you will only find this at auction these days, but it’s probably still roughly around retail price.

Availability: Scarce. Auction, or maybe, maybe, maybe specialty shop only.

Distillery Information:

Region: Speyside

Location: Cromdale, Morayshire, Southern Speyside

Geography: Inland

Date Founded: 1824

Owner: Inver House

Website: n/a

Capacity: 2,800,000

Plant Summary: n/a

Total expressions sampled: 1

Overall distillery score: n/a
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