Balmenach 22yo Living Souls
Living Souls | 44.9% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
A deep, fruity Speysider with plenty of distillery character
Hidden Gems
As a conscientious hiker, there’s an important rule I follow: stay on marked trails.
It’s an important one. Whether it’s a narrow, rugged track or a well-worn popular path grooved by the footfall of thousands of adventurers, trails are meant to be followed for several reasons. Chief of all, to maintain the beauty and splendor of nature so it might be enjoyed by others for generations to come.
Like returning shopping carts, it’s one of those minor but important silent decrees of society; small acts that reverberate and maintain the order of things.
In most parks or recreation areas it’s visibly posted: “Stay on Marked Trails.” A guidepost we follow anyway, but something plain to see for the mavericks and plant crushers among us. The effects of off-trail rogues are visible in many places.
During peak wildflower season, it’s common to see wannabe influencers and the non-trail conscious stray beyond the paths and rope lines to take selfies of themselves among the colorful flowers, snapping posed Instagram photos and collecting internet clout at the sake of fragile blossoms. Scars of a trampled landscape left in their wake.
In fact, after a particularly good bloom year in 2019, rangers closed off entire areas to tourists after the tramplers came through and damaged entire fields of wildflowers.
Further, plenty of trails lead to a destination worth exploring, a lovely glen of trees, a waterfall, a sweeping vista, ocean or river views, rewards well-earned after an entire morning or afternoon spent trudging or climbing. Sometimes, with my armpits down around my ankles, getting to the end is its own prize.
Despite these covenants to myself to be a good trail steward and my consummate belief in proper hiking etiquette, I must admit I made a slight adjustment to these rules on a recent morning trek.
On one forest path I’ve walked dozens of times there’s a small wooden bridge over a seasonal creek that runs within a small gully - more a deep ditch that operates as a man-made storm drain to keep a road above the trail from flooding. The water flows to a river approximately one hundred yards from the trail through a clearing in the trees.
I mention it’s a “seasonal creek” because except after heavy rains the stream bed remains dry, carpeted with small sticks, branches, pine needles, and other forest debris - but following storms, the creek runs swiftly and dangerously below the bridge.
As luck would have it, on my last stroll, a few days of light, steady rain had fallen on the woodland trail, but not enough to create the perilous conditions present after a downpour. And since my last visit, a large branch had fallen, allowing a view to the top of the hill close to where the road ran.
My eyes were drawn to a scene I hadn’t noticed before. Moss-covered stones arranged in a way to create a lovely trickling waterfall beneath the drain spout under the roadway. The stream was flowing steadily, the sounds of water over rocks created a peaceful babbling effect in the quiet of the forest, punctured noisily every few minutes by a passing car.
The moss was dry and not dangerous to climb over. The approach was safe. I made the snap decision to take a closer look.
I hopped around the bridge and clambered toward the top. Rules broken, but only slightly. It was a short ascent, only thirty feet or so, I was careful and in no danger. I justified this radical behavior by telling myself no roots or flowers were trampled; nothing moved or disturbed. I left as I came in, but the location was worth the detour.
My original plan was to do some photography at the end of the trail, but my internal (amateur) photographer instincts kicked in, and I did what anyone would do, naturally, I pulled out a bottle and I started shooting.
Wanting to savor the moment more than capture the bottle, I didn’t spend too much time taking photos, I didn’t even know if they would turn out. Moreso I just enjoyed the quiet setting and closed my eyes to the pleasing sound of water over rocks.
It’s prudent to stay on trail and we should stick to these rules, but as long as one is safe and we always leave things as we came, sometimes it’s okay to seek comfort in hidden places.
Review
Balmenach 22yo, matured in a first-fill bourbon barrel, bottled by Living Souls, 44.9% ABV
US$110 paid, (£80) still some availability
For me and numerous enthusiasts, exploring the “hidden” distilleries buried in blends and bottled by independents is one of the joys of the whisky journey. Many of them have unique characteristics and are a delight to uncover (for those who take pleasure in such things).
Finding true affection among these lost gems only adds to the excitement. I’m proud to say one has risen to the top recently, Inver House’s underrated secret Speysider: Balmenach.
As I mentioned in my Tri Carragh piece while discussing the Craigellachie in that mix, (a bottle I’m very much enjoying), I’ve found a deep fondness for producers that use worm tubs.
Worm tubs are a traditional condenser used toward the end of the distillation process. The hot spirit vapor from the still passes through a long, snaking copper coil that’s submerged in a large vat of cold water. The vapor travels through these coils, condensing back into liquid. Because this vapor has less contact with copper due to the cold water and condensation, heavier compounds make it through, which adds heft and complexity to the spirit.
Although each is, of course, different, there’s a signature weightiness that accompanies this very old-school style I’m drawn to. Balmenach is no different.
Others have taken notice too. This distillery is no stranger to these pages. Just last year Hamish glowingly wrote about four different independently bottled Balmenachs, also praising the great worm tubs in that piece.
Balmenach surely qualifies as “hidden.” Despite being in production for over two hundred years (nearly continuously mind you), and most of their acclaim comes from the gin they also produce on site, Caorunn, which although I haven’t tried, I understand is quite popular ‘cross the pond.
Over the decades the whisky they produce has been gobbled up as blending stock (as most worm tub distilleries are unfortunately), but independent bottlers have taken notice and we’re here to offer our applause once again.
My first encounter with Balmenach was an 11-year Cadenhead’s bottle from last year in PX. It’s phenomenal whisky. The profile was excellent and its almost black, cola-like color was captivating. Beyond the sweetness of the PX cask there was deep complexity and savory funkiness I knew I just had to explore further.
When I saw in their most recent release that Living Souls had bottled a 22-year Balmenach in first-fill bourbon at a great price, I took a punt and glad I did.
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
A deep, fruity Speysider with plenty of distillery character
Nose
Crisp white wine and juicy green grapes initially. Deep and hefty; there’s an alluring weight to the nose. Fresh pear slices. Sweet, sugary, creamy maltiness almost like cheesecake. The depth feels airy and vapor-ey. Strawberry milkshake. Lemon meringue. Buttery California Chardonnay.
Behind that there’s oily industrial notes like metal polish or a brassworks machine shop that leaves a slight tang in the back of the throat. Over time there’s Spring flowers and grassy floral notes - almost perfume-like. Water adds new character and brings sheet cake, yellow frosting, pine wood and sawdust, hints of farminess, custard filling, lemon-lime, citrus, jasmine flowers, and lavender hand soap.
I really enjoy this both with water and without; the nose is different on each and it’s a real treat.
Palate
Very juicy. More crispness along with a mouth-coating pleasant sweetness, but a candy sweetness like green jolly rancher. Soft bread. Yellow peaches. Sweet white wine. A champagne-like fizziness. Sugary and doughy. The industrial tang is still there, but more faint on the palate. Water brings more of a malty, dry cereal element to the dram, but the chardonnay sweet character is still there. Hints of lemon curd. Vanilla pudding.
A long finish with malty stickiness that also develops with caramel sugar, a white wine dryness, sugary caramel.
Incredibly unique profile and quite enjoyable.
The Dregs
A fun, mature dram at a great price - plus worm tubs? Count me in every time.
As someone who doesn’t always gravitate toward high age statements, it’s a pleasure to enjoy a twenty-plus year old whisky loaded with a distillery character I enjoy, with the added benefit of affordability.
Another “W” for the folks at Living Souls and another reminder that although Balmenach remains one of those underrated and “hidden” distilleries, they’re always worth exploring.
I was initially hesitant at the low ABV and wasn’t sure if 44.9% was still cask strength for a 22 year whisky, I was worried it could potentially be watered down, but there’s depth and distillery character here for days and it doesn’t feel cask-smothered at all, despite the first-fill bourbon used in maturation.
The added weight from the worm tubs is very apparent; we love to see it.
That tangy machine-shop note I search for in Balmenach is there, especially on the nose, and it adds a wonderful dimension to this dram. They have a character all their own.
I waffled between a 7 or an 8 here. I could see that some might rate this an 8. The layered maturity is apparent and it’s worthy of discussion. The nose could certainly put this at an 8 - I spent abundant time with this nose and really enjoyed that water added additional character and despite the low ABV the whisky takes water well without feeling thin or diluted and that long finish is certainly quite enjoyable. I do honestly think a higher ABV would lift this a little more, but I’m not complaining.
This is very good whisky, the folks at Living Souls should be proud. And just like the waterfalls, I’m happy to have uncovered this “hidden” gem.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AD
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At the point of this article’s publication, Balmenach doesn’t appear in the Dramface Top 40.
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