Ballantine’s ‘The 12’ 1980s (75cl, 43%)

Starting in 1827 as a small grocer in Edinburgh George Ballentine was supplying whiskies to his customers, over the years his business expanded and he was blending whiskies and exporting his blends all over the world. The Ballantine brand is one of the highest-selling scotch whisky today. This expression ‘The 12’ refers to the 12 years of maturation which in the 1980s was still considered a long maturation. On opening this bottle the aromas of oak, forest floor, honey and vanilla, the palate is sweet with dried fruits, apples, caramel, cinnamon and ginger with a long finish of cooked fruit, tobacco, oak and ginger.