Balmenach 9yo - SMWS 48.156
Mouth Watering Melange | 62.6% ABV
Obscurity.
In Scotch whisky there are many ways to spell 'obscurity': Miltonduff, Glen Spey and Inchgower are just some examples. But a whisky that seemingly flies under everyone’s radar is Balmenach.
This is a distillery I hadn’t heard much about until very recently. With over 140 active distilleries in Scotland as of June 2024, there remain names and brands that I might have heard of, but have never tried liquid from. It'll be quite the occasion when I've scored off all of them on the scotch malt distillery bingo card after tasting all of them. One day.
There are lots of relatively enigmatic workhorse distilleries that are well represented by independent bottlers. Examples include Benrinnes, Glentauchers and Caol Ila, all of which all have well over a thousand entries on Whiskybase, so no lack of availability for enthusiasts in the indie realm.
However, those distilleries we might consider flying ‘under-the-radar' - by which I mean less than half the Whiskybase count of the more common workhorse entries - fly lower still.
I'm talking about the likes of Glen Spey, Inchgower, Glendullan to name but a few. I'd place Balmenach in that category. This is only the second piece on Dramface reviewing a Balmenach whisky. Yet it's a single malt that I've purchased a fair amount of in the past twelve months.
Why is that? Why are we seeing certain single malts only available through the indie market, instead of a dedicated official bottle or core range from the distillery itself?
It has little to do with size and liquid output. Especially compared to some of the newer distilleries we see today, who are more inclined toward single malt releases as opposed to making a blend component available for bulk sale. Taking Balmenach as an example; it is the second largest whisky producer in the portfolio of its owner, Inver House, at 2.9 million litres per year (LPA), which is larger than the likes of the UK’s biggest selling single malt; Jura at 2.5m LPA, Islay juggernauts Ardbeg at 2.4m LPA and Bruichladdich at 2.0m LPA. Ubiquitous Glengoyne is a comparatively lowly 1.1m litres.
Is it about demand? Precisely because these distilleries are so obscure, maybe there’s just less demand for them? From my own perspective, this is the main reason. I think my first bottle was finding it at a very reasonable price on Cadenhead’s online shop and I took a punt. Thereafter a sample of an unbelievable Thompson Bros bottling was the main reason to seek out more.
With my increased evangelism about this distillery recently, I'm often met with, 'Awh it's not one I've tried before.' A strange one indeed, because Balmenach, is also one of the twenty current worm tub distilleries and widely regarded as producing a spirit of particularly high quality. It does indeed make a lot of liquid, yet a quick search of the UK’s largest online retailer only lists six relatively affordable, contemporary bottles. That’s not much compared to the swathes of availability from other so-called under-the-radar workhorses.
It’s of course all about the sheer scale of scotch whisky blends. The biggest producers of malt whisky in Scotland, Diageo and Pernod Ricard, are actually blending companies. Their blends, such as Jonnie Walker, Ballantines and J&B, account for 90% of the scotch whisky market by volume, and it turns out Balmenach is one of those critical blend components so prized by blenders. A tragedy to single malt lovers, but we should remember that’s why they exist. There is a shift happening towards a single malt preference, as illustrated by the fact almost all new distilleries in the UK and Ireland have their focus on single malt products over blends.
For flavour chasers and malt enthusiasts, it’s inevitable we’ll reach a point on our journeys where curiosity gets the better of us. In our Pokémon game of “Gotta catch ‘em all”, seeing an affordable Balmenach leads to a whisky botherer inevitability. Exactly what brought me to wonder what it was like.
Another interesting thing that I've stumbled across with some input from Wally, is that Balmenach seems to be better known for its gin brand; Caorunn, which began gin production back in 2009. A gin that is crafted in the world’s only working Copper Berry Chamber, in a whisky distillery, which offers gin tours. Only gin tours! An odd thing if you ask me, but a differing angle for marketing and unique selling point compared to others in the market.
Review
Balmenach 9yo, SMWS 48.156, Mouth Watering Melange, March 2013, first-fill broubon barrels, 62.6% ABV
£55 paid, now sold out
Having fallen in love with the recent Dune movies, I had to have this bottle after noticing the word ‘melange' on the SMWS label. In this context it’s more likely referring to the French for a "mixture" or "medley" as opposed to the fictional psychedelic drug, known as 'spice', on the planet of Arrakis in the movies.
Nose
Powdered sugar. Strawberry bubblegum. Punchy and full of spice. More strawberries in the form of jam. Gummy sweets. Cola bottles. Very malty. A touch of shortbread biscuits and lemon sherbet. Hints of dried oak and sawdust. It's a fresh and sweet pour, with a pop of cayenne pepper and more lemon in the mix. Some brown sugar, grated ginger, soft apricots and slices of grapefruits.
Palate
Hot. There's that ginger and it almost goes into hard confectionery, like Brandy Balls. Pepper spikes almost immediately. The high ABV announces itself right away. The first sip lasts forever. Coffee grounds develop into baked brown bread with an almost marmite layer on the back end (which isn't a bad thing).
Dried oak up front, some banana foam sweets, red liquorice and mango yogurt. Palate tingles remain. With such a nicely weighted, tongue-drying mouthfeel, it’s moreish.
When it settles you tease out some white grapes, peaches and honeydew melon as that sweetness balances it all out..
The Dregs
From the shoulder to half way down in this bottle, I absolutely fell in love with the liquid inside. The tropical fruit, spice and bubblegum character with such a weight blew me away. It wasn't long until I got another bottle and it's honestly the first time I've gone back to a single cask cask strength offering to pick up a second bottle so quickly.
Yet this Balmenach calmed after a while, and the initial grip faded ever so slightly which has been reflected in my score. This was at first an 8, but gradually settled to a 7. Still a great quality whisky, ticking all my boxes but I don't know why that initial experience with the first quarter of the bottle didn't last.
I'll pay close attention to the second bottle when it's opened, it could of course be something on my end influencing the liquid in the glass.
Am I on the hunt for more Balmenach? Yes. Do these SMWS expressions excite me? Of course. A cool and unique name with a bourbon maturation and I'm all over it.
With this being one of the most obscure distilleries out there, grab the chance to sample it whenever you can. Not only are you expanding that whisky knowledge, but you’ll add to the praise and push for blend-bound malts perhaps getting their own dedicated official expression someday.
In the meantime, and we say this a lot, thank goodness for indies, and taking care of obscurities.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. HF