{"product_id":"blair-athol-14-year-old-2006-north-star-spirits-single-mezcal-cask-series-16-2021-70cl","title":"Blair Athol 14 Year Old 2006 North Star Spirits Single Mezcal Cask Series 16 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2021) 70cl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 28px;\"\u003eBlair Athol 14 Year Old 2006 North Star Spirits Single Mezcal Cask Series 16 (2021) 70cl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1 of only 196 bottles produced from a Mezcal Hogshead in 2006.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlair Athol was traditionally used in blends for a long time and now the single cask market is thriving with Blair Athol single casks bringing out its strong creamy character \u0026amp; taking it into Tequila and Sherry Casks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNorth Star Spirits have a fantastic reputation for choosing great casks to bottle under Iain Croucher who headed up A.D.Ratray previously.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis whisky was distilled in September 2006 and aged for 14 years. It was finished in a ex-Mezcal cask.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTasting Notes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNose : Zesty lime, pressed sugarcane, tropical fruits, and cinnamon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePalate : Pineapple and fresh melon mingle with warming spice and prickles of pepper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinish : Prunes, dates, and a gentle nuttiness, toasted oak, floral herbs, gentle spice, and plenty of citrus tang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 20px;\"\u003eAbout Blair Athol\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA member of the ‘nutty-spicy’ camp which defined the old Bell’s distilleries, Blair Athol takes the first part of the descriptor to its boldest expression.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCloudy worts and a short fermentation time give the nutty base, but it is distillation which adds real weight to the distillate. A controlled level of solids coming across in the wash still add a rich, deep, malt-loaf character to the new make. It is this character which allows it to show so well in ex-Sherry, although for blending purposes the majority of the make is destined for ex-Bourbon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe central Perthshire town of Pitlochry sits on the banks of the River Tay and has had a distillery since 1798, making its plant one of the oldest legal whisky-making sites in Scotland. The original distillery was named Aldour after the burn which supplied it with process water, but changed its name to Blair Athol [after a village seven miles to the north] in 1825. This could conceivably have been to sweeten the Duke of Athol who owned the land\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt became part of the Peter Mackenzie blending house in 1886, but like many distilleries suffered during the economic troubles of the 1930s and fell silent between 1932 and 1949. In the interim period however Mackenzie (and its estate, which also included Dufftown distillery) had been bought by Perth-based blender, Arthur Bell \u0026amp; Sons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the 1970s, Bell’s was being built into the UK’s top-selling blended Scotch and, as a result, Blair Athol was doubled in capacity. Guinness (which bought Bell’s in 1985, and after further mergers evolved into Diageo) opened a visitor’s centre in 1987.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn an attempt to tap into the then infant single malt market, Bell’s bottled it as an eight-year-old in the 1980s, but in the Diageo era it has only appeared as a member of the Flora \u0026amp; Fauna range (at 12 years of age), matured in first-fill ex-Sherry casks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout North Star Spirits \u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAstronomy plays a massive part in the storytelling narrative of our core whisky range. Our vision is reflected in our company name. The North Star is the anchor of the northern sky. It is a landmark, or sky marker, that helps those who follow it determine direction as it glows brightly to guide and lead toward a purposeful destination. It also has a symbolic meaning, for the North Star depicts a beacon of inspiration and hope to many. North Star focuses its energies on the curiosities, peculiar oddities, and obscurities - whisky as it comes, straight from the cask and into a bottle - without any fancy tricks.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e49% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70cl\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blair Athol","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54686719312197,"sku":"000330","price":109.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0941\/9495\/8661\/files\/4676139145.jpg?v=1746546275","url":"https:\/\/b1yyjg-bk.myshopify.com\/products\/blair-athol-14-year-old-2006-north-star-spirits-single-mezcal-cask-series-16-2021-70cl","provider":"Whisky Situation Old","version":"1.0","type":"link"}