Some time ago we already had a series of new whiskies from Maltbarn, that had been presented at the Limburg festival. Issues with logistics caused some others to be delayed, but here they are now.
It seems to be fairly modest selection for this bottler. They’re all young or middle-aged whiskies – the older releases were in the previous review.
Teaninich 17 yo 2008 (52%, Maltbarn 2026, bourbon cask, 249 btl.)
Nose: yellow gummi bears, with white grapes, some biscuity notes and a mild hint of boiled milk. Then a lemon candy note, mixed with some sweet herbs (maybe Ricola melissa?). Fresh grassy notes as well.
Mouth: fairly creamy, with more of this green fruitiness, with gooseberries, citrons, grassy notes. This comes with hints of botanicals and some plain barley. The sweetness is easy to note, yet there’s no exuberant fruitiness. Subtle vanilla and floral honey in the distance.
Finish: medium, on barley, a hint of green banana and a grassy edge.
Maybe not the cask I would have selected, but certainly a decent daily dram. It’s one of these distilleries that I don’t have a clear-cut opinion on, I rarely seem to connect. Even for the highest scoring Teaninich I wrote “but I wasn’t blow away“.
Balblair 17 yo 2008 (53%, Maltbarn 2026, bourbon cask, 86 btl.)
Nose: slightly more fruity, with added oranges and hints of toffee apple. Pears, a little strawberry yoghurt. Sweet beer and marzipan. But also gorse, tomato stems and light chalky notes. A bit more edgy than their official bottlings.
Mouth: fruitier and slightly more conventional now. Sweet citrus, a little vanilla, cake with icing, as well as nutmeg and mild herbal notes. A subtle vegetal / greenery note, as well as a hint of latte. Goes in different directions really.
Finish: medium, with vanilla, eucalyptus and a hint of chestnut.
Balblair with an edge. I had similar experiences with casks from Decadent Drinks: it offers a lot of pleasure but also things that don’t seem to fit in entirely. A more interesting choice than the Teaninich, in any case. Score: 85/100
Linkwood 11 yo 2015 (55,2%, Maltbarn 2026, bourbon cask, 252 btl.)
Nose: inviting hints of orchard fruits (ripe pears, peaches) with dark honeys and a balanced hint of lightly toasted oak. Then a few raisins and plums, along with breakfast cereals and barley syrup. Hints of dried wildflowers as well.
Mouth: sweet and spicy, with more ripe fruits, like stewed pears, apricots and caramelized apple. Some vanilla cream, brioche, latte, subtle nutty notes and a pinch of cinnamon. The oakiness is pronounced but suits this sweet profile.
Finish: long, with more hazelnut and caramelized fruits, as well as subtle oak.
A very coherent Linkwood, with a ripe character that exceeds its absolute age. Nice selection. Score: 87/100
Dalmunach 9 yo 2016 (56,3%, Maltbarn 2026, bourbon cask, 98 btl.)
Nose: a bready / doughy core. Then lemon juice, along with a creamy vanilla cake note and a slightly savoury hint of sunflower oil. Hints of buttery pears and peaches underneath.
Mouth: a slightly funny mix of apricot sweetness and coffee sweets (Mokatine). Café Noir biscuits and hard caramels. Plenty of malty notes, a little gingerbread.
Finish: medium length, with dark honey, hints of dark beer and caramelized pecans.
An unexpected profile, not high in complexity but overall really nice. Score: 87/100
Tullibardine 9 yo 2016 (55,6%, Maltbarn 2026, bourbon cask, 154 btl.)
Nose: quite a neutral profile again, in the sense that bready barley notes prevail. More breakfast cereals, light pepper and baking spice. Subtle apple sweetness and vanilla. Not very exciting, but quite solid.
Mouth: fairly sweet again, perhaps slightly more influenced by the wood now. Brioche and plain malt. Then light citrusy notes provide some freshness. Mid-palate the spiciness of the oak takes over, with pepper and cinnamon, along with undertones of milk chocolate.
Finish: medium length, with a little chocolate cake and oak spice.
These five whiskies were are pretty solid performers for their age (well, except for the Teaninich perhaps) but none of them were really exciting. This Tullibardine too is a nice everyday malt. Score: 84/100