The first of three single malts from Bladnoch released in early 2017 to celebrate the reopening of this Lowland distillery. Although it doesn't carry an age statement, it's said to be made up of whiskies that are a minimum or 8 years old and well as older, rarer whiskies. First fill Californian red wine and bourbon casks were used for maturation, whilst 'Samsara' appropriately enough means 'rebirth'.
Quite concentrated, fruit compote, with plums, vanilla and orange blossom.
A sweet winey start, then drying slightly before more plums and vanilla flavours, some citrus and a malty core. Nicely structured.
Mellow and winey with a spicy, lingering tail.
The nicest whisky I’ve tasted. I’m not a big drinker and normally go through 1-2 bottles per year. I finished this one after only six weeks. Far and away the nicest whisky I’ve had. Lots of vanilla and a sweet start, with plenty of spice on the finish. Deeeeelicious
Given this as a gift and taught , gorgeous bottle, no age statement, possibly mediocre whisky but I was pleasantly surprised.
Lovely Orange nose. An almost apricot taste similar to Amaretto but not as sweet and a lingering spicy aftertaste.
Great whisky! I was there before and now after, new and repowered by the land! Love it!
So there is one other review at the time of this writing. They seem to like it, but only give this dram 3.5 stars. For me, this is a 5 star buy. Is this the best or my favorite? In short, no. However, it is 1/2 the price and represents a smooth, complex dram that despite not carrying an age statement, it tastes like a mature whisky, with a brilliant finish that is that is spicy, but not overly so. On the nose it is like a Dreamsicle, vanilla over oranges with a dense malt behind it all. On the palate it is light, actually more sweet than I would normally like, but the hit of spice on the back of the palate quickly balances the tone. For a bottle under $70 USD, this is one incredible bottle of spirits.
