Balblair 15yo
Official Bottling Re-review | 46% ABV
Score: 5/10
Average. In a good way.
TL;DR
A benchmark
Are Dramface Scores Drifting?
The scoring system at Dramface is an integral part of our enthusiast focussed nature, it sits at the top of each article and is intrinsic to what we do. So, this is an important question to ask.
A lot of the whiskies reviewed on Dramface are “very good indeed.” Whiskies like the 43% ABV Caol Ila 12yo official bottling have scored a 7 out of 10 in recent times. There have been other instances such as issuing a 7 out of 10 accompanied by an apology, or even revisiting a previously scored 6 out of 10 to posthumously increase to 7. Is score inflation taking hold at Dramface HQ? Is it possible that we are losing the mark, if ever so slightly? I’m here to dig into the numbers and figure it out.
The last time I put down my thoughts on scoring I was sipping on Glenallachie 15. The whisky was fine, if a little cask-y with no spirit backbone to support. I took the opportunity with this decidedly average whisky to evaluate the distribution of Dramface scores at the six month mark by comparing to the spread of the 100-point system, as implemented by Ralfy. A correlation was developed to translate between the two. Now with Dramface surpassing the 1000 review mark it’s time to take stock, stand back a little and see where we are.
Back in August of 2022, we had just over 200 reviews on the site. The most frequently awarded score was a 7 and the average score was 6.2. Ralfy’s scores averaged 87 with a most frequently awarded score of 90 points on the 100-point scale. Comparison of the scoring distributions allowed a conclusion to be drawn that a Dramface 7 was, at the time, roughly equivalent to a Ralfy 90.
Ralfy has since renormalized his scoring, comparatively lowering the values he awards his single malts. Therefore the old conversion no longer holds. I’m not going to go back and re-evaluate but instead compare Dramface to itself.
At the time of writing, with over 1000 reviews under our collective belts, surprisingly, the distribution remains very similar. Most awarded score is still 7, with 327 whiskies given this score. As in 2022, 6 follows closely behind with 303 entries. The average score is a tick up at 6.3 - nothing to be concerned about.
What I am slightly troubled about is the notable increase in the number of higher scores awarded since 2022. Looking at the comparison chart, it appears we have stolen from the lesser to give to the greater, for the relative increase in 8s and 9s is coming at the expense of 4 through 7. Dramface has now scored 8 out of 10 “Something Special” more times than the supposedly “Average. In a Good Way”, 5 out of 10. In 2022, the number of 5s outweighed the number of 8s by a considerable margin.
A completely accurate justification for all of this is that Dramface contributors are largely a team of enthusiasts and hobbyists who like to buy good whisky. The large majority of us wouldn’t (purposefully) take a 5 for the team, spending our hard earned cash on 700 or 750 millilitres of meh wrapped in glass. Nobody wants an average bottle, even if it is indeed average “in a good way”. No surprises then that most of our reviews here at Dramface are above this water line. We do however let down entry level folks in that respect; more reviews of more standard, available, budget-friendly bottles would help to boost the number of 5s and provide a better point of reference for the everyperson whisky drinker.
Dougie has recently revealed that he will be recalibrating his ratings for Ardnamurchan, for his love of the Glenbeg distillery is so great that he’s running out of real estate on the 10-point scale. I wonder if an overall recalibration is in order for Dramface, if just a small adjustment.
Review
Balblair 15yo, official bottling, NCF, natural colour, bottle code L23/08/2021 R21/5369, 46% ABV
£65 paid and readily available (£80 RRP)
Fergus recently took on the Balblair 15 year old in a comparison against one of the discontinued vintage expressions that enthusiasts bemoan the departure of every time the distillery is mentioned. Fergus did make the sharp observation that the once ludicrous pricing that went along with the Balblair rebrand now seems rather ordinary compared to the rest of the field five or so years on. I already had this bottle earmarked for a review and I hope Fergus doesn’t mind the duplication. I’ll admit, I may have an unopened Balblair vintage tucked away in the closet myself. I’m saving that one for a rainy day.
Score: 5/10
Average. In a good way.
TL;DR
A benchmark
Nose
Purple grapes, red pepper jelly, candy berries, apple cider. Sweet and sour, oyster sauce, musty oak. Cinnamon hearts and leather.
Palate
Raisins and molasses, reminiscent of bran muffins. Fruits - apple chips, poached pear, dried apricot. Fruitcake. I enjoy reading tasting notes that assign a colour to the whisky, and in this case it’s purple, with a slash of green. The finish is long, woody, hot, and slightly astringent. There’s less in the palate than there is on the nose.
The Dregs
Here we have a quaffable, tasty dram with no real shortcomings. It couldn’t be a 4.
A lovely nose does all the sherry cask highland malt tricks. But it doesn’t raise my pulse, nor can it be considered a solid purchase. It couldn’t be a 6.
5/10. Average. In a good way. A certified benchmark, if you will, for what a decent middle of the road whisky should be. For me this represents a good yardstick for which to calibrate my scoring. I’d be interested to hear from readers in the comments on what your benchmark 5/10 is. Some other options that come to my mind are Glenallachie 12yo and Talisker 10yo.
As always, it’s just scoring. A subjective mark given by a fallable individual at a specific time and place under a specific set of circumstances. At Dramface the dregs and TL;DRs will always be more important than the score, which is simply another data point used to guide the decision making of whisky drinkers. Maybe we don’t need any official adjustments from HQ. It should be enough if we just made sure that our 7s and 8s are actually 7s and 8s, and we’re not giving the whisky the benefit of the doubt. After all, Dramface is here to offer the whisky community some much needed measured whisky criticism.
Score: 5/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AMc
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Other opinions on this:
Ralfy (2024 - uncannily timed re-review 😳)
Got a link to a reliable review? Tell us.
