🥃 Whisky van Zuylen

Quite OK but nothing special either

Tastes in 2022

Tried this at the distillery today and I really liked it, I have scored it higher this time than previously and preferred this more than the distillery only bottle that is 48%.Worth the money definitely.

I expected slightly more after the nose. Although pleasant and not a sherry monster.

After a good tour with Geoff [who knew plenty, including the Tiros valve!], we finished 'officially' with a taste of a Blair Athol F&F bottling - after all, what other official bottlings have Blair Athol got to offer? Incredibly, our original tour group of 13 quickly became 4 due to some negative reaction to the heat and aroma of the production process - which meant by the end it was just Geoff, myself and whisky! N: I've had this a few times before and always liked it. What jumps out today is mocha-caramel, coffee-toffee, with a sweet herbal, char>smoke and a good mix/blend of bourbon and sherry casks. So much so, you can appreciate them both separately and as a whole. There are hints of banana and liquorice also. T: A little sherry, paper mulch and wash notes with a herbal chew. A little bitters and,... almost liquorice. It's the oloroso sherry [they only use oloroso apparent;y], that develops. Quite some mineral content also. F: More on cereals with more of that herbal chew with unobtrusive oloroso support till the last. C: Rather nice form throughout. Two things grab me about Blair Athol. They know how to make neutral spirit and they know how to combine and balance bourbon and sherry casks. Scores the same as my first contact. Oh, what's this Geoff has just passed me? WB Scores a B-

impressive malt, looks noticeably older, very intense, very independent, great PLV

Seems significantly older than 12 years. Generously sherried, with plenty of dark / caramelized / roast / burnt aromas and quite some twiggy, tart wood, and even a very faint smoky aspect (akin to Cragganmore 12, perhaps). Nice chalky, mineralic notes as well, and the pleasant raisin-y aroma of a freshly opened pack of filter cigarettes. That being said, it's very thin and I almost feel like I can taste the caramel colorant (this is more orange than Donald). Surprisingly little fruit for a Blair Athol. All in all, still very good. If you're into the darker, espressso-like side of whisky, you'll gobble this up.

Tasted directly at the distillery (2025). Drinkable. 71-80 – Fine, like to drink by time

He would not get 90 points anymore (my guess is 1998 !, but I'll leave him in the DB), but that's a standard of the better sort. The sherry is surprisingly spicy, the oak surprisingly strong. I still like it!

A good whisky for the price. More on the spicy-woody side, fruit is only subtle.

Disappointed in this one, not much character at all.

has by far the most interesting nose, unfortunately he lacks the pleasant mouthfeel. The departure unfortunately disappointed something.

Surely one of the most underrated standard malts. After the bottle ist half empty and the malt had time to breathe, there is an astounding fruitiness developing on the palate which adds nicely to the bittersweet coffee-vanilla raisin-tobacco notes. The tasting details by Marko_I are still on spot (and he himself is sadly missed). Despite being somewhat thin, this Blair Athol leaves me more satisfied now, so I raise my score.

Mellow but somewhat inoffensive sherry, honeyed walnuts and moist leather, very ripe plums and pink grapes, exotic wood, vanilla and milk chocolate. Salted caramel, hazelnuts, dates and figs, quince jam. Some candied fruit, cinnamon, saffron. On the palate, it's creamy, Turkish delight, blond tobacco, orchard fruits. The spices become stronger, but remain measured overall. Fairly passable finish with the same ingredients as before, perhaps a hint of coffee. Very slight woody bitterness. It's well done and representative of the distillery, but I admit I expected a little better. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2025/10/blair-athol-12-yo.html

Tasting of a bottling from January 2023 (L3031CM002). The bottlings seem to be very different. This one is in the middle range, but I have had a bottling that I liked much better, as well as a bottle that I barely emptied halfway and then gave away to someone who likes to drink more.

Smell : Complex, smoky and caramel Colour : Dark gold Taste : Rich, spicy, fruit and honey

The ID 274 was bottled 23 years ago. And I like it accordingly, although I rarely had really good whiskys from the Flora and Fauna series in my glass. I find this one very good as a drinking whisky. Getting better by the minute. So if 20 years ago it was the 12-year-olds with 43 percent from the Flora and Fauna series, then congratulations. Not a complex single cask at cask strength, but a very good drinking whisky. I am very surprised.

This distillery deserves more recognition.

Tasted on site. Fat nose, quite reserved at first. Then tinned strawberries. Dry oak spices. On the palate, it's less sweet than expected. Dominated by slightly bitter oak and subtle fruits behind. Dry finish.

blind tasting

Nose: vanilla, toffee, baked apples, peaches, honey, raisins in syrup, spices, pepper, cinnamon, orange zest, hints of dried fruit, dark chocolate. Palate: vanilla, toffee, honey, lots of pepper and wood tartness, bitter citrus, nutmeg, dried bitter fruit, burnt bitter toast, coffee. Finish: medium long, persistent and tart, lots of wood, nuts, herbs, cocoa, coffee.

RMB 360/bottle.

An average whisky. Not bad, but nothing special. What I like is the malty. Of that it would like to be more.

Very decent whisky with a nice fruit component, but with each sip of herber - 20.05.2017

n: rich, malty nose with good sherry influence. very much on bakery aromas like croissants and pastry. some yeasty moments, beer. nuts, cereals and also some tiny sulphury notes. t:  quite sweet arrival, thick body, very malty. those croissants and pastries again. very spicy with cloves, nutmeg and a little cinnamon. tea, walnuts. f:  medium in length, drying comments: a well-balanced everyday dram 86/100

Nose: Sherry cask moonshine, coffee beans, cherries, orange peel Taste: quite dry, but also a bit sweet, fruity cocktail Finish: bitter orange Rating: 3

N: fresh sherry, some baked produce as in shortbread or biscuits P: Sherry, biscuits, spicy and some fruity notes F: Warming, spicy and quite smooth C: Not a big fan of Blair Athol

Despite the fruitiness quite dry. Strong and voluminous. Goes well with chocolate gingerbread.

A well-put together malt and one of the best (recent) entrys of the F&F series. A shame Blair Athol is only available via IBs, their distillate is surely better than only being used as a blending malt. Highly ecommended!

Smell : sweet citrus fruits, orange juice, vanilla, spicy with a hint of smoke, some sherry Taste : slightly bitter orange, walnuts, oak and also here a hint of smoke Finish: first sweet then bitter oak, medium long You can not drink, but you do not have to convince me.

light nose, a watery, easy to drink dram. creamy finish. Nothing special, but a good drinker.

delicious to drink

Soft, yet fruity and spicy nose, with plenty of fresh barley, cinnamon and nutmeg, ripe orchard fruits, and buttery popcorn, all wrapped up in some gentle woody oak. Very similar profile on the palate (a great example of a nose and palate in fine balance). Builds to a creamy and woody finish, with a hint of chilli heat keeping things interesting. Great value for money in the current market and a very underrated dram.

Interesting: Initially, a slight smell of smoked fish in the nose, but not unpleasant.

A well balanced Highland malt, showing more structure and dryness than overt sweetness. The sherry influence is present but subtle, acting more as seasoning than a dominant force. I’m enjoying this. As an old school highland malt it needs good time in glass to integrate well. Nose: Orchard fruit (apple, orange peel), toffee, malt and honey, lifted by faint herbal notes and a gentle nutty edge. Palate: Medium-light to medium body. Sweet malt and honey caramel lead, followed by dried fruits, citrus zest and gentle baking spice (nutmeg, cinnamon). A developing earthy and slightly tobacco-like note adds depth. Sherry character is present but restrained, more “supporting layer” than fruitcake richness. Finish: Medium length, drying, with oak tannins, spice, and a lightly herbal bitterness that grows as it fades.

A whisky with many faces that wants to be discovered ...

the nose is sweet with shy meaty sherry nose. The palate is meatier and cloyingly sweet. One to skip.

Average whisky. My scores are created using the Colley Matrix method and based on the win-loss record and strength of schedule.

Tasted as part of The Whisky Shop Advent Calendar 2024. Terrific dram. It is making me think that Diageo is onto something with this Flora and Fauna series. Definitely a candidate to try again.

After the bottle is half empty, I can only recommend letting this whisky stand for a while; it becomes noticeably rounder and more pleasant.

An interesting corner balancing on the edge of an acceptable bitterness. I think the sample was enough.

An extremely tasty all-rounder. Simply classic and round.

A special malt for those who like bitterness in all variations. In any case, it brings variety between sweeties. The alcohol is perfectly integrated. A pleasure in combination with a piece of dark chocolate. But not a malt for every day, you have to be in the mood for it.

Relaxed sherry matured dram. Solid 84 +1 for Roy ;)

aroma: smooth, delicate, sweet, caramel, butter, vanilla, nuts taste: soft, aching, caramel, vanilla, wood, sherry Excellent stuff. Consistent in aroma and taste. Smooth, smooth taste.

Highland SM "The Burn of the Otter" - Otter on the label Flora & Fauna 12 yo, 43% colour: black tea

I found this very similar to the review by The Drammer's Notes: Eye: The colour of the whisky is burnished. Nose: Lovely sherried nose with christmas cake aromas of dried fruits, apricots, raisins and dates, orange peel, walnuts, warm spices, cinnamon and vanilla, liquorice, cough syrup and leather. Palate: Full flavoured, rich and sweet with oranges, raisins, stewed plums, oak wood, sweet spices, cinnamon, star anise and nutmeg, sweet toffee, malty cereal, roasted almonds and red wine tannins. Finish: Rather long, turning drier with lingering spices, chilli, tannin and wood ash. Verdict: The Blair Athol 12 is a rather wonderful sherried single malt with plenty of christmas cake flavours and a luscious mouthfeel. It is slightly lacking in complexity but is none the less very well balanced for a 12 year old and seriously moreish, from a distillery that deserves a lot more attention that it gets. If this was unchillfiltered, and bumped up to 46%, this would have been an outstanding whisky, even with E150 added. https://whiskytastings.tumblr.com/post/151627759333/review-163-blair-athol-12-43-abv-e150a

Tasted from a 20cl bottle bought in September 2025 at Cardhu distillery shop. It is just the third flora and fauna bottling I try and it is by far the best one, much better than I expected. Great quality/price ratio at around 55/60 euro a bottle.

manages to retain some freshness despite the Sherry. I like it. A very good daily dram.

Since there are hardly any original bottlings from Blair Athol, one is initially just grateful for this edition as part of the Flora and Fauna series. The bottlings are not completely identical depending on the release date. It seems as if I have got one of the better ones here. I like the simple and straightforward nature of this dram and hope that it will be around with the otter symbol for as long as possible.

Colour: amber Nose: wow...what a surprise! RICH!! peaty, nutty, sherry, malt! Taste: Balanced. Smoke, dried fruits, Xmas pudding, raisins, but also a bit of citrus, Finish: long, dry, smoky and sweet Presentation: Another one of those DIAGEO run of the mill appearances What a surprise. Would have never thought this was such a pleasant single malt!!

2018.08.08

Blair Athol 12yo Flora & Fauna by Diageo ABV: 43% | Cask: presumably sherry Nose: Milk chocolate. A sweet whirlwind. Palate: Very smooth Vita chrysanthemum tea. Beginners will love it. Score: 85 [Recommend to try]

Bitterness is dominant. Spirit is too strong, not of good quality. They make a strong spirit to give some character to the blends which is quite a desaster for the single malts they do. One of the worst i had in my holidays hsving tried about 60 drams....

Nose: Heavy sherry, tonnes of sweet sherry with fruit cake and raisin. Very little of the distillery character. Water: Softens. Taste: Sweet sherry with raisins and lots of sweetness, some building spice- Nutmeg and ginger. Again, not much balance, very sherried. Water: Softens with less spice and more malt sweetness- Orange. Finish: Sweet spice and some oak.

Spicy & rich, sherry & very light smoke (not peat). Slightly wood-chocolate-coffee bitter in the end. Surprisingly, very good. I guess even “amazing” as for “stats” - 12yo, not popular distillery, 2001 bottling, more or less “regular” bottlings - if we count flora&fauna as regular

One of the only few original bottlings from the charming Blair Athol Distillery. Released annually, the one I'am tasting is bottled in 2021. One who came across Blair Athol Distillery during autumn period surely remembers its reddish leaf-carpet overgrowing distillery's gable wall, which proudly holds its name on. Such is this whisky. Autumnal. Sweet and spicy. With pronounced aroma of chocolate, baked apples, candied oranges, cinnamon and nutmeg. On the palate less sweet than nose suggest, more spicy with pepper, cinnamon, cloves and oak. A bit astringent, with a subtle sourness. Finish is long and spicy. Dark chocolate with salt and cinnamon. This is well composed, afternoon-autumnal dram with well integrated alcohol, sherry-influenced but not cask-driven whisky, that still shows spirit of the distillery.

Aroma: sweet fruits, mainly apples with the addition of red fruits, minerality / smell of iron, rust, wet earth, shoe polish, dark chocolate. Taste: dry, light, with a fruitier finish with distinct dark chocolate and dried cherries

The nose is dark and fruity with notes of cherry and plum jam. On the palate, I'm greeted by intense sherry notes, particularly in the form of red plum, raisins, and dark cherries. I also detect sweet strawberries and blackberries. Hints of marzipan and roasted nuts. Milk chocolate and cappuccino. Baked cake batter, various spices, toasted oak, and roasted pepper. A touch of cloves and nutmeg. A very good whisky with an excellent 43% alcohol content and very intense sherry notes. Complex enough to keep you occupied for quite some time. The various fruit notes, especially the strawberry for me, bring great pleasure to the glass.

Nice notes but the nuances are weak.

Palate/Body: Soft, sweet, and beautifully malty (rich cereal notes). Nose: Once it opens up and breathes, the nose begins to reveal distinct oxidative notes.