Ballantine's 30 Year Old Bottled 1970's

Ballantines Hard Fired

The Hard Fired expression from Ballantine’s was an Amazon exclusive and contains malt that matured on double charred casks, hence the name. That’s about all the info I could find, except for the fact that it was released in 2015. In a nutshell: this is their Finest Blend on double charred casks, end of story. But I do not believe this was a hit,...

Score 66/100

Ballantines 12 Year Old

Blended whisky with alot goin on. Nutty honey vanilla, citrus fruit, smokey ash, on arrival then drops off to short uneventful finish. Great blend for all seasons.

Score 77/100

Ballantines Finest

I’ve probably tasted Ballantine’s Finest dozens of times, and I’ve always found it pleasant, but I’ve never really paid close attention to it. This is probably because of its “bottom shelf” price. This has been a mistake on my part that I’m endeavouring to rectify. Every whisky should be evaluated in the same manner, regardless of its price point....

Score 87/100

Ballantines Finest

After the Ballantines 1965, 1985 and 2008 I will now try a more recent bottling. The label says this was bottled on the 16th February 2015. The nose is soft and sweet with an unmistakable smoky edge. Mildly sweet and sour at first whiff, the nose evolves toward young, yellow apples and loads of heather. Some (I would almost say obligatory)...

Score 79/100