{"product_id":"balblair-12-year-old","title":"Balblair 12 Year Old","description":"\u003cp\u003eBalblair’s age statement range features 12, 15, 18 and 25 year old expressions but this 12 Year Old is the only one without Sherry casks in its maturation regime. Unique for its American oak ex-Bourbon and double-fired American oak casks, this expression brings an elegant complexity and warmth of \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecreamy vanilla\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, lashes of \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecitrus\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003egreen apples\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e with \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eground spices\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNatural in colour and non-chill filtered, Balblair 12 Year Old has taken out multiple awards over the years, including a Gold at the 2025 San Francisco Wine \u0026amp; Spirits Competition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBalblair takes the gentle charisma of the Highlands, steps it up a notch, and puts it in a bottle. With all this history and tradition, it should come as no surprise that the distillery values its traditional methods of whisky production. Read on for a full run-down of Balblair’s distillation methods:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs is the case with many of the workhorse distilleries of Scotland, only around 10% of the 22,500 casks maturing in the eight traditional earthen floored dunnages is actually reflected or earmarked as Single Malt. The remainder finds its way into world-renowned blends such as Chivas Regal, Ballantine's \u0026amp; Hankey Bannister.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBalblair uses several varieties of barley with minimal peat levels of 1-2 PPM, and its silos have a 30 tonne collective capacity, meaning that the distillery can operate self-sufficiently under the worst winter conditions for up to 3 weeks. At Balblair, one tonne of barley produces just over 400 litres of spirit and production reaches 1.3 million litres of new make spirit annually.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMashing (in stainless steel) takes place in three stages over a six hour timeline; firstly at 65C, secondly at 82C and finally at 92C. This slower natural drainage system assists in giving Balblair spirit its fruit driven characteristics by releasing the fatty compounds in the sugary wort of the mash. Fermentation takes place in six traditional Pine Oregon washbacks, each containing 21,500 litres of fermenting liquid at different times in the process. At 62 hours long, the fermentation allows the micro-flora bacteria held in the wood of the washbacks to impart a secondary minor fermentation. The result of this is a sulphury\/meaty note to the new make. Now, this might be something you’d wonder why they would possibly want to do, but the end result is worth it… the sulphur lifts to reveal those delicate, delicious fruits, while the meatiness changes and brings sweet toffee notes and, after extended ageing, a notable spiciness. Once finished, the fermented wash is in essence a fruity strong ale of around 8-9% ABV.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDistillation is done in two large stills, one wash and one spirit, which have very large, bulbous bases with thick necks to achieve the heavier, robust \u0026amp; oily spirit preferred by Balblair. Lyne arms run through the still-room wall to copper condensers that cool the vapour back into liquid new make spirit ready for cask maturation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll that work, and only $115 a bottle? Get in while you’re quick – this ripper price is only at The Whisky Club.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot yet a Member? \u003ca title=\"Sign Up Free today\" href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSign Up Free today\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Balblair Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489912410191,"sku":"WC0112","price":115.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/balblair12_pdp_main-medal.png?v=1787700981","url":"https:\/\/thewhiskyclub.com.au\/products\/balblair-12-year-old","provider":"The Whisky Club AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}