Balblair 15YO Single Malt Whisky

On the nose, leatherwood honey and spicy gingerbread followed by juicy prunes and fresh lemon peel. On the palate, velvety in texture, bursting with dark chocolate, tropical fruit and spices. To finish, long and mellow, with notes of creamy vanilla and citrus.

• Distillery: Balblair Distillery -  Inver House Distillers
• Type: Single Malt Highland Scotch Whisky
• Region: Highland, Scotland
• Alcohol: 46%
• Volume: 700ml
• Goes with: Neat or over ice

This stunning and smooth Balblair 15 Year Old Single Malt Highland Whisky was initially matured in American oak ex-bourbon casks, followed by the rich influence of first fill Spanish oak butts. Great whisky gift for someone special or corporate gift. Buy here in our online liquor store and get delivered direct to your door, we deliver nationwide.

One of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, Balblair was founded in 1790 by John Ross. The distillery lies in Edderton in the Northern Highlands, surrounded by rugged mountains, from whence the Allt Dearg - Balblair’s water source - springs. Following John Ross’s death in 1836, the distillery was passed down to his son, Andrew Ross. In 1872, he resited the distillery further up the hills on which it sits and converted the old buildings into warehousing facilities.

There is evidence that illicit distillation was carried out in the area of Edderton in the mid eighteenth century. The area was known as the ‘Parish of the Peats’ in reference to the prolific distillation and the abundance of peat in the surrounding soil. The distillery was forced to close during the First World War and did not reopen until 1949, a year after it was acquired for £48,000 by Keith-based lawyer, Robert ‘Bertie’ Cumming. Cumming ran the distillery until his retirement in 1970. In 1996, the distillery was sold by Allied Domecq to its current owners, Inver House Distillers. Just fifteen percent of Balblair’s 1.33 million litre capacity is sold as single malt, though there are many independent bottlings as well as a good range of official bottlings.

TIME LINE

1790 - The Balblair Distillery is established by local man, John Ross, on the estate of the Rosses of Balnagowan.

1824 - John Ross is joined by his son, Andrew, and thereafter the sons and grandsons of John Ross operated the Balblair farm and distillery until the last years of the 19th century.

1862 - The Highland Railway Company build the Inverness to Ardgay line, opening up new opportunities for Balblair.

1894 - James Ross gives up the tenancy of Balblair to Alexander Cowan, a wine merchant from Inverness. He transforms the distillery, building offices, a still house, mash house, kiln and barns.

1895 - By now the railway had come to Balblair bringing coal for the still and boiler and barley for the malting. To take advantage of the railway line the Distillery is moved half a mile north to its current location.

1911 - Tough economic times force Balblair to cease production.

1932 - The last Balblair bottles of the era leave the warehouses.

1939 - It is probably just as well that the distillery was dry, as the next occupants were the Norwegian Army, after the buildings were commandeered by the British Army for the duration of the Second World War.

1948 - Under Bertie’s stewardship, production resumes for the first time since before the First World War.

1949 - Robert James “Bertie” Cumming, a solicitor from Banff, purchases the distillery for £48,000.

1960 - The Edderton Railway Station closes.

1964 - Growing demand encourages Bertie to invest in extra warehouses and their first steam boiler.

1970 - Bertie sells Balblair to a man named Hiram Walker, whose company would later become Allied Distillers.

1980 - Extensive development happens throughout the 1980s.

1996 - Balblair Distillery is purchased by Inver House Distillers and so begins the newest chapter in the history of this timeless distillery.

2007 - The distillery makes the move to release Balblair as a Vintage Whisky, with every bottling marked with the year in which the whisky was distilled.

2019 - The distillery releases a new range of age-statement expressions. Each one has its own unique characteristics, but all them exude our True Highland Spirit.

• Silver - 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition - Single Malt Scotch - 13yo-19yo
• Silver - 2019 International Spirits Challenge - Distillers' Single Malts between 13yo-20yo
  
• Silver - 2019 International Wine & Spirit Competition - Scotch Single Malt - Highland