Balblair 25 Year Old Scotch Whisky
Balblair 25 Year Old Scotch Whisky is the Highlands playing the long game — a 46% ABV (92 proof) single malt in a 750mL bottle, aged a full 25 years: first in American oak ex-bourbon casks, then reshaped over the years in first-fill Spanish oak butts that held Oloroso sherry. Bottled non-chill filtered with natural color at Balblair Distillery near Tain — founded 1790 on the Dornoch Firth — it is the flagship age statement of one of Scotland's oldest working distilleries. Order it online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 92 proof (46% ABV) — 750mL, non-chill filtered, natural color
- Age: 25 years, non-vintage age statement
- Casks: American oak ex-bourbon, finished in first-fill Oloroso sherry butts (Spanish oak)
- Origin: Balblair Distillery, Edderton, Highlands, Scotland (est. 1790)
- Style: full-bodied Highland malt — citrus, chocolate, tobacco leaf
Twenty-Five Years in Two Oaks
Balblair swapped its vintage-dated range for age statements in 2019, and the 25 Year Old has anchored the lineup since — a malt that starts in bourbon casks for structure and spends its later years in Oloroso butts for depth. The distillery's own notes read like a dessert menu crossed with a humidor. See more from Balblair or browse Del Mesa's scotch whisky shelf.
Tasting Notes
Hot copper in the glass; overripe apricots, dark licorice, polished oak, and a touch of saddle wax on the nose; full-bodied and oily — citrus, chocolate praline, faint fresh tobacco leaf; a warming finish of smooth chocolate and blood oranges (official distillery notes).
How to Enjoy
Neat, in a tulip glass, with time — a 25-year-old malt at 46% needs no water, though a single drop opens the Oloroso fruit. Save it for the end of the evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Balblair 25 a vintage whisky?
No — it carries a 25-year age statement, not a vintage year. (Balblair also releases separate vintage-dated bottlings.)
Is it chill filtered or colored?
Neither — non-chill filtered with natural color, at 46% ABV.
Where is Balblair made?
At Balblair Distillery in Edderton, near Tain in the Scottish Highlands, founded 1790.
Two and a half decades, two oaks, one distillery — order Balblair 25 Year Old online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.