BLADNOCH “SAMSARA”

The long awaited return of Bladnoch is over.. “Samsara” is part of the initial release from the Bladnoch distillery, along with ” Adela” which is a 15yo and matured exclusively in Oloroso butts and “Talia” which boasts a 25yo age statement and is stocks from the old days of Diageo which has then received a finish in virgin oak.. For those of you who are like me and loved Bladnoch will be chomping at the bit to try these ! Obviously these releases are still from old stocks so we kind of know what we might be getting but let’s see.. This expression “Samsara” which means A new beginning is a mixture of whiskies between 8-12 years of age and has been matured in a mixture of first fill bourbon casks and Californian red wine casks.

Samsara is bottled at 46.7%abv and is NCF.. This is also a NAS but I’m told the youngest whisky is around 8yo ( which obviously ties in with the ending of production) and also contains some good aged stock..

Nose.. Initially sweet with Vanilla, honey and toffee notes, fresh fruits and apple peel bring some freshness into play.. some very subtle dried fruit notes come into play with Chocolate, sugared almonds and caramel shortbread.. There is some soft floral notes in the background, heather and fresh blossom mingle with hints of oak.

Palate.. Very fresh and typically lowland.. Fresh fruits, Apple, oranges, peaches and Vanilla along with heather honey, and spices.. Cinnamon buns, ginger and apple strudel delight the senses and that gentle hint of oak just pokes you a little..

Finish.. Warming with a spicy kick.

Thoughts.. Well Bladnoch is back in style.. This is a great first release and will delight most of the old fans of the distillery.. This is a lovely fresh, fruity easy drinking whisky that will be great as an early evening dram shared with friends.. The only down side to this first release is that numbers will be limited in the U.K. .. Hopefully as time goes by there will be far more available..