whisky review 173 - Ballantines 17yo Blended Scotch
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- čas přidán 13. 09. 2024
- ... a well constructed Blended Scotch with a good reputation, the 'grain' content is fairly neutral in such a way as to mobilise the variety of 'malt' whiskies involved into a virtual taste-trip around the Whisky Regions of Scotland. .... lovely.
Has a bit of a different label these days , have packed it working at Chivas Dumbarton. Green bottle still . Three speyside Distillery Whisky’s in this one. Has a nice smell , have not drunk it yet.
I think scotch makers should be required to state, on the bottle, whether caramel colouring has been added.
I love to what esteem we hold Alcohol in society :))
2019 here...not yet
2022 still not here
Greetings from Belgrade (Serbia)!
I enjoyed your review, with a glass of ballantines (finest) of course...
For me is the best.
Cheers!
Grain whisky is produced in a column still which has a much higher throughput than a two still pot still system. More importantly it's distilled to a very high level of alcohol which means it's much less important to control for off flavors from various compounds that might make it into the finished spirit. Basically you can distill crap and it will come out more or less ok, and you can do it quickly and at very high volume.
Great review Ralfy, much harder to find here now that it won world whiskey of the year.
Very very good blend. One of the finest out there.. but you need to give it time in the glass! It won't present itself in the best way otherwise.
Ballantines Finest at the moment (last 2 years) is on FIRE for a blend. Definitely my go to blend. I used to mix this one (ginger ale), but after a while couldn't bring myself to mix it. A beautiful blend, very complex, a perfect starter whisky before some extremely good single malts!
Tried the generic supermarket version, not a bad blend to drink on a cold night or with some coffee. A good whisky that has me curious to try its older blends.
I would say the opposite Ralfy, that Malts aren't thinning down a raw spirit, but in this case adding the flavour to an over average grain distill. Coming from near Dumbarton myself, I had heard Ballantines used a lot of Islay malt in their brand, and it is evident if you water it all the way down ( a way of tasting I learnt from my ex, by accident) - they were part and parcel though of the 1970s race to the bottom of fighting brands mis-using malts in blends. ( My usual rant, I will refrain from NASty malt whisky at this point )
This is in Sainsburys at the moment for £25 (£15.49 discount!). I got two. It's already sold out online so you'll need to be quick to get it in the stores - unless they restock.
Ballantine's 17 yr Bl Sc is indeed a beautiful Scotch Whisky.
@jreno78
Ballantine's Finest is a 3 year old whisky. There may be older whiskies in the blend but it is technically 3 years old since that is the age of the youngest component. It says so on their website.
@ralfystuff , Its also cold here in Finland , but we tend to insulate our buildings well so it doesn't get that cold (of course we have heating ).
I enjoy your reviews and it is nice to have someone remove the shame of loving a good blend. Say, what do you think of the standard Ballantine's Finest as a beginner's blend? I found it a little medicinal in taste but the promise of a good pastry or homemade bread is there in the nose. I'm just starting to sense these things so I may be off a bit. maybe I added too much water...
Cheers Ralfy!!
Slainte!
@Futre4 thanks for the tip... I wanna try the Ballantines 12 Pure Malt but very hard to find here in Melb...
And I keep thinking that Ralfy gave a 92 to a Buchana's 12 bottled in 2001. It's king of crazy how the quality keeps going down as the years go by!
Hey Ralfy, in lieu of recycling we've found that these rather flannel encrusted-cardboard box containers make excellent 'kindling' for the ol' wood fire here at the lodge. Hey, with fuel being so dear these days, does this not make sense!! Fuel is fuel!
cheers.
This is a good whiskey.
Does your personal taste effect the mark at all? Or do you still recognize quality in a taste you don't specifically appreciate? Or have you simply learned to appreciate all tastes found in Whisky?
skrie Interesting question!
Also think about the economics. In a single malt you are buying something distilled 10-12 years ago for the most part. When demand goes up, prices go up, because supply can't be increased except over the long run. A blended whisky with no age-statement can adapt much more quickly. They adapt by producing an inferior product, confident that the average consumer won't notice the difference.
I got this bottle recently because it scored to high in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible.
It was good, but no single malt. Your assessment seems much more reasonable.
Where are you in this video? I see it is very cold inside, is this normal temperature or are you at some special location with no heating?
I like your videos, only now found them!
16 may 2020: I am pondering to buy this on ebay at about 60 euros and it looks like a bargain because other sellers will sell at 90 euros. Now I recognize it was great value back in the days
Hey Ralfy,
first of all I'm enjoying most of your reviews. Now my question, how's the Ballantines finest scotch whisky ? See it all time in the supermarket but not sure if I should try it. What would you say ?
seemed very sweet... and a lot of caramel...
Great review Ralfy!
I'm from Melbourne, Australia and will try to purchase Ballentines 17 but it's very hard to find besides in the Duty Free Shop... Can I get your take on the Ballentines 12 y.o.? How does it stack up to say it's nearest rivals like Johnnie Walker Black Label and Chivas Regal 12? Big thanks!
I like boxes for whisky buys- I have no transport and feel reassured with the whisky well protected while being lugged in a carrier bag- With no box I find myself protecting the bottle amongst bread and soft shopping items but It's quite a scutter- Maybe when cars were uncommon- boxes were to protect the precious contents
This whisky is now appearing in Australia bottled at 40% instead of 43%. Would this impact the flavour?
yes, and not for the better !
coslifehurts I just bought one today ( Romania ) and its bottled at 40% instead of 43%, just like yours, what's up with that I wonder...Got it from a big retailer, imported by Pernod Ricard, regular price
probably originated in the UK where usual strength for blends is 40%vol by law !
Yes, that explains it, thank you for your answer, it is imported from UK indeed :)
I guess I really need that blast.
Happy New Year Ralfy, I have a question for you? I hated the Ballantines 12 year old. Absolute garbage. Never tried the 12 year Pure Malt variant, and will stay away from the Finest version. Should I try the 17 year old? Or should I stick to Johnnie Walker Gold Label and Chivas Regal 18 when I want an old blended scotch and can afford it? And please dont say that I am spoiled for choice again! Remember, you have a Johnnie Walker Blue Label in your closet, I dont! Happy 2012
_good_ one!
Help me, Ralfy. In Hai Phong, Vietnam, I have available for purchase 2 bottlings of something called "Ballantine's 17". One label says 40% and costs about 1,560,000 VND (around 68 USD) and is available at big stores. Tastes fine to my uneducated palate. The other says 43% on the label and confesses on the label that "SINGAPORE DUTY NOT PAID." This one sits on a little shop's shelf at the price of 1,100,000 VND (around 48 USD). No discerning palate here. I can just say it tastes okay, but stronger. It says on the back "Imported by PERNOD RICARD. . .").
My question: What's up with these two bottlings and prices? Is the cheaper one fake? Seems like the cheaper one might be better whisky. . .
. . . good bottling and price , but beware of fakes !
Im doing the custom wood maturation with a 1.75 liter o Ballantines finest
five star review...
@ralfystuff 73% was maybe wishful thinking...
i tried it and i thought "oh, my caramel " in a good way though...
I think Jim Murray overrated this considerably. It just is not the best in world. I bought it on that recommendation. It was pleasant enough but not a stand out. I'm drinking the Scapa edition right now - I went in with much more measured expectations and am as a result quite enjoying it.
You can see that only intelligent people are drinking whisky: there is not one dislike! :)
10 years later, Ballentines 17 and 21 yo are only 40% abv...... I pass