Ballantine's Twitter Tasting

A few days ago I did a great Twitter Tasting with Steve Rush from The Whisky Wire and Ballantine’s. I really missed this kind of events. I have been away for four months but it looks like ages ago the last time I did…

Well, to be fair I wasn’t expecting a huge tasting, I have tasted a few Ballantine’s and I usually order Finest when I am out of home because it is better than the standard booze that they serve here and still cheap enough so you are not served so with a liver-crusher refilled whisky bottle. I love #Spain.

So, to the tasting… a few days before the tasting I got one of the hugest samples parcels that I have got in a lot of time. And I opened it and, oh, oh my, oh my my! Surprise! Five Ballantine’s whiskies to taste: Finest, 12yo , 17yo, 21yo and 30 years old.

I have already tasted some of them but I was particularly interested in two of them: the 30 years old and the 17 years old. I tasted long time ago the two of them and I wasn’t deeply touched by none of them.

So time to retaste them all!

Ballantine’s Finest

“Quite nice whisky! I really love how the honey, the vanilla and the malty character turns an affordable blend into a quite drinkable whisky”

87

Ballantine's Finest is a complex, refined and elegant blended scotch whisky.

It is regarded as the taste to satisfy a modern style. The original flavour, complexity and refinement comes from more than 50 single malt flavours.

The unmistakable Ballantine's flavour is dependent on these 50 single malts, 4 single grains and in particular the fingerprint malts from Miltonduff and Glenburgie. It is balanced because no one single component dominates.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. honey, vanilla, malt, citrus, spices, cinnamon, toffee.

Palate (86): smooth, oily. honey, wood, citrus, sherry, nuts, spices, wood.

Finish (86): longer than average. honey, citrus, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Ballantine's Finest with 87 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

Save money when you buy Blended Whisky online. Check for the best prices from best online shops below:

• Buy on Master of Malt for £20.83
• Buy on The Whisky Exchange for £20.95
• Buy on The Drink Shop for £23.68

Ballantine’s 12 years old

“It is more mature and rounded than Ballantine's Finest... maybe better... but I still prefer Finest”

88

Ballantine's is one the most famous blended scotch whiskies in the world.

Ballantine's 12 years old Blue is made with malt whisky from Miltonduff, Balblair, Glenburgie and Old Pulteney between others.

If you enjoy this blended whisky, you should try something like a Glenlivet 12 years old

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, wood, spices, citrus, vanilla, cinnamon, pears.

Palate (87): smooth, oily. honey, smoke, wood, spices, citrus, cinnamon, nuts.

Finish (87): longer than average. honey, citrus, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Ballantine's 12 year Blue with 88 points over 100.

Ballantine’s 17 years old

“This is definitively a nice step over Ballantines Finest. A lovely nose here”

89

Full-bodied, with creamy vanilla notes, this is one of the best blends available anywhere. A testament to the art of the master blender, and fiercely championed by Jim Murray.
TODO: Check if size is 75cl or 70cl
TODO: Check if strength is 43% or 40%

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, spices, toffee, baked apples, vanilla, cinnamon, nut meg, candies, smoke.

Palate (89): powerful, oily. honey, citrus, spices, fruits, mango, nuts, wood, smoke.

Finish (88): longer than average. honey, wood, smoke.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Ballantine's 17 year with 89 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

Save money when you buy Blended Whisky online. Check for the best prices from best online shops below:

• Buy on The Drink Shop for £49.27
• Buy on Master of Malt for £49.45

Ballantine’s 21 years old

“This is the kind of whisky I was expecting when 17yo was named best whisky in the world by Jim Murray. Lovely character with little notes of crunchy vanilla caramels”

91

70cl / 43% - A refined and elegant entry in Ballantine's range of blends, introduced in 1993 and relying on a core of malts from Miltonduff and Glenburgie.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, spices, candies, wood, nuts, chocolate, vanilla, citrus, liquorice.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, vanilla, cinnamon, spices, citrus, cocoa, fruits, liquorice.

Finish (91): longer than average. honey, liquorice, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Ballantines 21 Year Old with 91 points over 100.

Ballantine’s 30 years old

“Complex! Fascinating! Mature! Dramtastic! A pity the price... or I would buy it all”

93

75cl / 43% - This is the oldest in the Ballantine's range of quality aged Scotch Whiskies and is available only in very limited quantities.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (93): more than average. honey, flowers, candies, vanilla, liquorice, citrus, cinnamon, white chocolate.

Palate (93): powerful, oily. honey, candies, flowers, fruits, spices, vanilla, mango, cinnamon, wood, liquorice.

Finish (93): longer than average. honey, spices, candies.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Ballantines 30 Year Old with 93 points over 100.

Miguel says…

I have been taken by surprise! What a fantastic tasting! Really I love the oldest Ballantine’s: 21yo and 30yo. It is a pity that as with many good whiskies nowadays the price tag is out of my pocket.

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