Call it Balfiddich or Glenvenie, there has been a lot of this teaspooned blended malt on the market over the years and this last round of unnecessary tariffs made even more of it available. They go by a lot of different names, but at the end of the day they’re teaspoon malts that get put outt as blended malts, because technically they are, and being blends they were able to slide under the tariffs.
This is why you might have suddenly seen more “John McCrae” or Burnside blended malts on the market and if you ever wondered what they are, now you know. John McCrae is Balvenie with a teaspoon of Glenfiddich in it. Burnside is Glenfiddich with a teaspoon of Balvenie in it. These two names are far from the only ones these blends go by, but they are two of the most common.
Though, whatever the name, there’s almost always a clue on the bottle as to which it is. In the case of the Blackadder line the cask code will tell you. GB is Glenfiddich with a dash of Balvenie and BG is the reverse. These blended malts are almost always a good deal and often sit on shelves because people don’t know what they are. So keep an eye out and you’ll likely be able to snag yourself a deal.
Malt Nuts: Balvenie-Glenfiddich – Pre Round
Pre 1: Blackadder “The Legendary” 22 years (89-12): 52.1% – Hogshead GB1
- Nose: Soapy, orange cream, malt and honeysuckle.
- Palate: Soapy, fruity and a tad malty.
- Finish: Medium -> Soapy, fruity and malty.
- Overall: (2 / 5) The soap doesn’t completely kill it, but it doesn’t help it at all either.
Pre 2: Blackadder “The Legendary” 24 years (89-13): 54.7% – Hogshead GB2
- Nose: Honied toffee, apples, graham-like malt and some banana.
- Palate: Fruit bomb, graham, toffee, char and roasted nuts.
- Finish: Med-long -> Complex fruit and graham.
- Overall: (4 / 5) Wow, this is like the opposite of the other pre, it’s fruity and delicious.
Post-Reveal Commentary: This really shows the difference a cask can make. These two were night and day different despite being distilled around the same time and being Glenlivet.
Malt Nuts: Balvenie-Glenfiddich – Round 1
A: Balvenie 12 years Single Barrel: 47.8% – ex-Bourbon
- Nose: Dense orchard fruit, Banana’s Foster, malt, dulce de leche, earthy.
- Palate: Dense orchard fruit, Banana’s Foster, malt, dulce de leche, earthy.
- Finish: Med -> Banana, malt and vanilla taffy.
- Overall: (3.5 / 5) Nice, I’d drink this anytime. It’s a sweet and fruity dram.
B: Sovereign “John McCrae” 12 years (95-17): 46.9% – Refill Hogshead
- Nose: Chalky fruit, Necco wafers, banana chips, malt, baking spice, earthiness.
- Palate: Banana taffy, Necco wafers, baking spice, nuts and touch bubblegum.
- Finish: Medium-long -> Malt, banana and vanilla.
- Overall: (3 / 5) A bit basic but, still, quite nice and I wouldn’t refuse a second glass.
C: Hepburn’s Choice “John McCrae” 24 years (91-16): 47.6% – Refill Hogshead
- Nose: Banana taffy, minerality, “foliage”, pastries and spice.
- Palate: Banana taffy, minerality, “foliage”, pastries and spice with a bit of waxy apple.
- Finish: Long -> Waxy apple and banana with some malty notes.
- Overall: (3.5 / 5) Pleasant, just plain pleasant.
D: A.D. Rattray Burnside 24 years (88): 52.1% – “Oak”
- Nose: Chalky, herbal, raw grain, spice, and a slight woodiness.
- Palate: Fruity and malty with a slight spice and woodiness.
- Finish: Med -> Chalky fruit and malt.
- Overall: (2.5 / 5) Meh, it’s not bad, but it’s not something I want more of.
E: The Pearls of Scotland Burnside 20 years (92-13): 55.8%
- Nose: Banana malted, vanilla taffy, orchard, honey, and toasted bread.
- Palate: Banana malted, vanilla taffy, orchard, honey, toasted bread, and a touch musty.
- Finish: Long -> Fruit and malt with a bit of graham.
- Overall: (3.5 / 5) On first pass I was kinda meh… but on the second and third… it’s nice.
F: Blackadder The Legendary 24 years (88-13): 54.8% – Hogshead BG2
- Nose: Waxy fruit, malt, olde candy, floral, and a bit of citrus.
- Palate: Waxy fruit, malt, olde candy, floral, and a bit of citrus.
- Finish: Long -> Waxy fruit and malt.
- Overall: (3 / 5) Good. A tad boring, but good.
G: Cadenhead’s Burnside 27 years (89-16): 46.5% – ex-Bourbon
- Nose: Chili coated mango (TJ’s), citrus, orchard fruit, malt, spice, honey, and toasted bread.
- Palate: Honey, fruit, soap, citrus and dried cocoa.
- Finish: Med-long -> Soap, dried fruit, and dried cocoa.
- Overall: (2 / 5) I hate when this happens. The aroma is so nice, but the palate is almost undrinkable with the soap. The nose is the only saving grace.
H: Blackadder The Legendary 23 years (88-12): 51.9% – Oak Hogshead BG1
- Nose: Sulfur, malt, green apples, stale spice and more sulfur.
- Palate: Sulfur, malt, green apples, raw grain, vegetal and more sulfur.
- Finish: Long -> Sulfur, vegetal and raw.
- Overall: (1 / 5) Nope. This is just plain not good and it’s not just the sulfur that’s the problem. It’s all of the other funky, raw and unripe/vegetal notes that come along with it.
Post-Reveal Commentary: One of the longest single rounds in Malt Nuts history and what a ride. Good, bad, and everything in between, this was a tour of the distilleries, their profiles and how much they can all differ cask-to-cask.
Malt Nuts: Balvenie-Glenfiddich – Bonus Round
Bonus: Hepburn’s Hector Macbeth 23 years (97-20): 53.8% – Refill Butt
- Nose: Sherry, graham, caramel, malty sweetness, pastries, banana, and spice.
- Palate: Sherry, graham, caramel, malty sweetness, pastries, banana and spice.
- Finish: Long -> Sherry, raw malt, spice and nutty graham.
- Overall: (3.5 / 5) It’s oddly good. The sherry doesn’t hurt, obviously, but it just plain comes together well.
Post-Reveal Commentary: I was happy to see this in the reveal. Not because it was mine, but because I have a bottle in the bunker.
My favorite of the night was the Hepburn’s Choice “John McCrae” 24 years which was originally available at K&L for $130. When was the last time you saw a 20+ yo Scotch for that low? Especially a Balvenie! This is what I was talking about when I said these teaspooned malts tend to be a great deal.
As always, it was a fun night. Thanks for reading and till next time, cheers!
