Balblair – 25 Year Old (70cl, 46%)

Balblair – 25 Year Old is a single malt whisky from Balblair (Highland). Aged 25 years, bottled at 46% ABV, 70cl. Well-known for its vintage malts, the Balblair distillery is situated near Edderton, Ross-Shire in the Highland region. The distillery was first built in 1790 by the Ross family, however, production was moved in 1872 to a new location next to the railway which was new at the time. This created links to Wick and Inverness for easy transportation of materials. For the first 100 years of production, Balblair was run by the Ross family until Alexander Cowan acquired the responsibility of running the distillery. Towards the start of the 20th century, Balblair suffered and was mothballed in 1911 and later used by the army for the duration of WWII. It wasn't until the end of the war that the distillery finally reopened, when Robert Cumming, owner of Old Pulteney decided to buy and resurrect the silent stills. Towards the end of the century in 1996, Inver House bought Balblair and only vintage bottlings were released - the first three being 1997, 1989 and 1979 expressions. This highland single malt was initially matured in American oak bourbon casks before it was then transferred for a second ageing period in Spanish oak butts. The single malt was finally bottled at the age of 25 years at 46% ABV.