{"product_id":"blair-athol-16-year-old-2006-north-star-spirits-cask-series-021-70cl","title":"Blair Athol 16 Year Old 2006 North Star Spirits Single Cask Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Cask Series 021) 70cl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 28px;\"\u003eBlair Athol 16 Year Old (2006) North Star Spirits (Cask Series 021) 70cl\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNorth Star Spirits are an Independent Bottler known for high quality carefully chosen casks that leave an impression when trying these.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe gang at indie bottler North Star Spirits picked a cracking single malt from Blair Athol here – the ideal addition to its Cask Series 21. Distilled in 2006, the whisky was initially matured in a refill hogshead, before finishing its 16-year maturation in an oloroso sherry hogshead. A total of 287 bottles were released in 2022.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTasting Notes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNose : Nutty notes of toasted marzipan, caramelised biscuits, and dustings of cocoa powder.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePalate : Roasted malt, praline, and sultanas tangle with cinnamon and sweet notes of mocha.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinish : Maple syrup, crumbly fudge, baking spice, and waves of peppery oak.\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\u003cp\u003e49.5% ABV\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70cl\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Blair Athol","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52786107744594,"sku":"00131","price":199.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1052\/9737\/9666\/files\/4218680870.jpg?v=1771936842","url":"https:\/\/whiskysituation.co.uk\/products\/blair-athol-16-year-old-2006-north-star-spirits-cask-series-021-70cl","provider":"Whisky Situation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}