Ballantine's Finest, Batch No. LKCL 2433, 2017, 40%

rainy_socks3 Oct

There’s a gentle contrast here that makes the blend interesting: ripe pear and heather honey on the nose give way to milk chocolate, caramel and a little peat smoke on the palate. The smoke stays described as gentle, with vanilla and malt carrying through into a clean, lingering finish. It sounds balanced rather than driven by one bold note, which suits an easygoing blended whisky. I’d be curious to see how the floral and lightly smoky sides sit together in the glass.