Blair Athol 12 yo 1993/2006

Blair Athol is one of those over-looked Diageo distilleries, known officially only from a Flora & Fauna bottling, and perhaps the odd Rare Malts bottling. Thank goodness there are independent bottlers who can bring the produce of a great distillery to a wider audience.

One of these independent bottlers has had a great idea. I reckon (and hopefully other whisky enthusiasts agree with me) that both 70cl bottles and little 5cl sampler bottles are inefficient sizes for those of us who want to get to know as many single malts as possible. One's too large, and it's difficult to get through it quickly so that I can move on to the next one. The other's too small, and there's not enough whisky to really get to grips with the malt.

Step forward Douglas Laing. They've bottled little 20cl bottles as part of their Old Malt Cask range, and there's a fairly wide selection of distilleries as well. I managed to get this Blair Athol beauty, as well as a couple of other single malts in this bottle size.

I thought I might test this one out with in combination with cheeses. Why? Well, there's no reason why whisky shouldn't go with cheese; it's a matter of choosing the right whisky. This one might well be it - it's got a fair amount of fruit in it, it's got the right level of sweetness to go with strong and savoury cheeses, while not being too overpowering for milder cheeses.

Anyway, the tasting note:

Blair Athol 12 yo 1993/2006 (Douglas Laing OMC)
Single malt - Central Highlands
Amber
50% ABV

Nose: Oak, banana, oranges, malty beer, brandy, rubber bands, hints of brown paper.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, smooth, thickens in the mouth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Blackcurrants (Ribena), orange peel, prunes, sherry, hints of mushroom.
Finish: Medium. Peanuts, white grapes, hints of melon.

And so on to the experiments:

1. Mons Beaufort d'Alpage

The cheese is hazelnutty and mild on its own. Savoury and slightly pungent. With the whisky, big notes of smoked ham and smoked chicken appear, with hints of armagnac soaked prunes wreathed throughout. Not half bad.

2. Danish Blue

Classic blue cheese available in supermarkets here in Britain. Milder than Stilton. Again, with the whisky big savoury notes appear, but this time, it's Marmite rather than meat of any description. The fruit is still apparent, although this time it's overripe raisins more than brandy and prunes. Not as good as the Beaufort d'Alpage.

3. Manchego

This particular Manchego was wine-washed, and had a very tasty nutty flavour. The whisky softened the taste of the cheese, bringing up notes of butter and milk, with curious surprising hints of vanilla. These were quickly followed by soy sauce flavours. The whisky itself tasted a little more like brandy, with the rubber band flavours that I associate with brandy beginning to appear. Sounds nice, but the combination doesn't really work.

4. Reblochon

Unfortunately, this Reblochon was a little mild, although wonderfully nutty and creamy. There was only a slight hint of pungency, and so it got rather lost in the whisky. Some interesting buttery hints of vanilla emerged, along with a little bit of black pepper in the finish, but other than that, it was a little boring.

5. Stinking Bishop

Made famous in Wallace and Gromit, this cheese is legendarily smelly. It's also delicious, with lovely hints of pear and beer (it's washed with perry). With the whisky, it's a little cardboardy, but that gives way to waves of sweet sherry, roast ham, and then the cheese takes over. Excellent.


And the winner is... Stinking Bishop! It's the cheese that preserved the sweet sherry / brandy character of this Blair Athol best. I do think though, that perhaps I shouldn't have tampered with this whisky. It's lovely on its own.