Ballantine's Finest Bottled 1960s Clear Plastic Cap

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

Ballantines 17 Year Old

This is one of the most hyped blends out there for those of you who are disciples of Mr. Murray's whisky bible. And that's not a knock, there's a good reason for that. But, as any good whisky drinker knows, taste is subjective and we must try everything for ourselves. With that in mind, here's my take on the ol' 17. To put it colorfully, this dram...

Score 89/100

Ballantines Ballantine's Gold Seal 12 Year Old Special Reserve

My alphabetical order is a bit out of whack, but I'm going to try to (roughly) adhere to it as we go through these minis. This is a Ballantine's 12 Year Old, but the label is very different from the current bottling, with "Gold Seal" and "Special Reserve" on the label. And, again, we are at 43% rather than the current 40% ABV....

Score 87/100

Ballantines Finest

I usually don't drink cheap blends, in afraid of what I brought would go to the toilet, but I found Ballatine's Finest seemed to be a better cheap blend among other big brands and Mr. Jim Murray gave it a 96 pts score, so I picked up a 200ml bottle in a convenience store and gave it a try. The bottle has been opened for a week. Nose: Milk...

Score 80/100