White Heather 21-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky

Glare should be left to the professionals.

Very nice nose, oak, winter spices, herbal, very honeyed. Light on the palate, very nice lingering finish.

From Nicholl's & Perks web site White Heather is a 21-year-old blended Scotch whisky comprising of 53% grain whisky and 47% malt whisky from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay. The whiskies were initially matured for 18 years in a combination of first-fill American barrels, second-fill barrels and hogsheads, along with some sherry butts, before being married together aged for a final 3 years in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso puncheons, and medium char Appalachian oak. On a personal level at a minimum of £120 in the UK, I think this is very expensive for what it is. They are on auction sites now, seen quite a few of them, it only takes a good review from SV to get the flippers interested.

Pretty nice, actually thinking about getting a bottle well aged whisky, one of the best blends I tried!!!

Wow - what a wonderfully composed Blended Scotch whisky. Soft, round, very creamy with lots of honey sweetness and yellow fruit notes, perfectly balanced with the oak tannins and bitter orange zests. Nothing pushes itself to the fore, the purest harmony in the glass. Put together with a lot of experience by Billy Walker from a wide variety of casks. Very well done! I thank The GlenAllachie Distillery for the complimentary sample! https://www.whisky-connaisseur.de/2021/03/31/white-heather-21yo-2021/

Tawny. Pleasant nose with just enough vegetal peat, tobacco, raisins. Firm in the mouth but with a lot of wood influence in the palette, minimal smoke and a lot of spice (both sharp and more exotic). The aftertaste gives dried fruit, spices and also a bit of bitter wood. In total a perfect amount of smoke with a lot of wood influence. The nose is complex and deep but the palette is simpler and flatter. A little too much bitter tannins on the palate and aftertaste.

Tasted on 05-29-23 in nets.

Today I treated myself to something special for St. Patrick's Day! Great creation by Billy Walker. Despite 53% grain, this bottling is a great experience and the price is right too. This bottling certainly contains a few old Invergordon barrels. However, fine old sherry aromas dominate this smooth bottling. Big cinema!

Batch: L 23 11 21 According to what I’ve found online after a short and admittedly lazy bit of research, this is a high-malt blend (~47% malt) combining Speyside and Highland whiskies with a small proportion of peated Islay whisky, likely built around GlenAllachie stock. These whiskies are matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks, sherry butts, and refill hogsheads; after blending, the whisky is finished in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso puncheons, as well as Appalachian virgin oak casks. It reminds me quite a bit of the GlenAllachie 10. It’s like a much more complex, richer, more varied and deeper version of that whisky, although also less powerful, since this WH21 isn’t cask strength. It also brings to mind the old-label Royal Brackla 12, with that beautifully balanced mix of classic old-school sherry whisky notes. In any case, what does this “premium” blend actually offer? Nose: immediately mind-blowing. Juicy, fresh red fruits covered in sweet, delicate milk chocolate, along with a good dose of deeply toasted cocoa, take the lead. It drifts into dessert territory with strawberry jam, custard with cinnamon, and candied orange, with an intricate herbal edge. At its core there’s this earthy funk, like proper Oloroso, with dead leaves, leather, toffee, cigar, clove, nutmeg, and mossy petrichor. All of this feels like it’s floating in an Arab pastry shop, with honey, dates, and nuts. A pervasive touch of sweet, organic peat ties everything together perfectly. Absolutely impressive. I like to think this is how far the craft of a master blender can go. Palate: fruity, sweet, leathery, toasted, jammy, herbal, peated. It starts with a mix of candied fresh fruits (peach, pear, lemon), strawberries with chocolate, heathery peat, deeply toasted toffee, and delicious old leather. Then it moves into more polished, slightly vegetal notes: red fruit jams (raspberries, blueberries, cherries) mixed with a cajeta-like profile (chocolate + dulce de leche), alongside clear Amontillado notes (old furniture, wood polish, musty bodega, tobacco). It then slides into a chocolate cake profile with herbal and menthol touches, slightly rancid (cigar box), and lightly smoky, salty, and earthy as it fades. Just wow. It’s like a symphony. I can’t even imagine the work that goes into crafting a flavor like this. It’s a shame the texture doesn’t quite match the level of the palate. Finish: long and complex. More sweet chocolate and juicy cherries soaked in Cointreau (orange liqueur) mixed with molasses. The typical astringency of very old whisky (there’s clearly some really old stock here), with aromatic ashy nuances mixed with old Amontillado (ancient sherry wood, damp old furniture, old leather), dusty raisins, heathery peat and, balancing all that weight, light herbal oils and a touch of fresh tropical booziness (probably coming from the grain whisky it supposedly contains). Comments: an amazing, old-school, complex, rich, concentrated, decadent, honeyed, fruity, herbal, slightly peated, heavily sherried, sweet dessert dram. Despite the fact that, apparently, more than 50% of this blend is grain whisky, I can barely detect any grain at all, and I’m not the only one. The best blend I’ve ever had, absolutely fantastic. I love how it combines very old fortified wine notes (Amontillado, with hints of old varnish) with super juicy red fruits, and fresh, vibrant herbal notes; and how all of this is perfectly sealed with a touch of peat in such an elegant way. In a way, it delivers outstanding old sherry funk in a vibrant, lively style I’ve never experienced before. The peat, subtle but pervasive, really showcases everything under a slightly exotic and different light. It’s a brilliant use of peat, enhancing both the funky old wood notes and the fresh, wine-like fruitiness. Also, it’s quite surprising that there’s no red wine cask influence, because this kind of juicy, slightly astringent red fruit profile is something I usually associate with that type of maturation. In short, this whisky manages to combine a wide range of flavor families in a genuinely impressive way, making them support and enhance each other. All in all, an incredible whisky that I’d recommend to anyone, especially those curious about trying a truly great blend, or fans of GlenAllachie, since the distillery character is quite recognizable. That said, I wouldn’t pay more than what I paid for it. And, honestly, I’m pretty sad the bottle is gone.

The aroma is calm. Tea and tobacco theme, confectionery, prunes, ripe tangerine, berry shades, melon, canned peaches, some smoked meats and smoke. The taste is dry with bitterness. Smoke, wood, tobacco, dried fruits, creamy milk theme, pleasant perfumery, spicy spices, pepper. Finish - medium duration with bitterness. Dried fruits, peppers, ginger, citrus zest, chocolate, smoky sillage. Conclusion: Mature and well-formed whiskey and you understand this not by the numbers on the label. Grain spirits are not felt at all, great integration. It lacks a few derivatives and undertones in the aroma and taste. The duration of the aftertaste also leaves its negative imprint on the overall picture. Comfortable for consumption.

first batch from Billy Walker 48% malt 52% grain contains Miltonduff, peated Allt a Bhain, peated Benriach, Braeval, Glenburgie.

2021 Rating

The nose is great, the rest unfortunately not at all.

Try it with Dad! Overall it's a bit too sweet for me... but still a great starter

21y old blended scotch! Great taste, great aroma. But I expected more... There is something watery in everything. In the beginning it's hidden amongst the sweetness and the darkness of the wax. But the more you sip, the more water comes true. This is a bit a turn-off. Good whisky, but not exquisite.

Nice, balanced blend that is not a high-flyer in terms of taste. Everything somehow rock solid without leaving a lasting impression. Still quite tasty.

I have tryed some White heather at the GlenAllachie Distillery, the 10yo cs is better then this imho. Wort buying? I like more punsh in my dram, thisone is god but im happy I only have 3cl dram

Even though this blend has a high malt content, it reminds me more of a well-aged grain whisky.

A 21yo blend where the Glenallachie distillate has a large say. Should be good no? I was excited to try this but left quite underwhelmed. The nose is flat and far from what you would expect. Some orange fruits, some honey sweets. Taste and finish wise it’s not that exciting either. Some peat and some smoke, indeed some Werthers Original (thnx Thijs), some orange fruits again. But overall its just not that complex or exciting. Way overpriced and I’m taking this of the wishlist. Permanently.

In general, not bad, there are hints of honey, a little peat, but the wood is quite noticeable. 21.5-21-21.5-22

Yeah well uh... what can I say? Rarely, never have I been so disappointed by a Whisk(e)y - Blending is something for real experts. But Billy Walker can't do it here! A Glenlivet Illicit or an Inchmoan 12 are more exciting and better for me. If you use it for daily gargling after a positive corona test and then clean the drain, this can reduce the virus load.

n: beautifull, sherry, wine, clover, heather, honey, cognac, cereal, rye, chilli, ripe fruits t: mounth-watering, smooth, sweet, sull, sherry, fruits, berries, old wood a: warming, smooth, berries, cranberries, dark fruits, sherry, dangerous drinking

This whisky was tasted blind as a part of a whisky advent calendar.

Nicely made website about this: https://whiteheatherwhisky.com/ It's worth a visit.... below you can read the Master's notes This note is also printed on the back of the bottle.

The nose was underwhelming at first, but it eventually grew on me, and the palate/finish won me over in the end. A really nice high-class sipping Scotch (one to actually drink rather than analyze to death); it's just that the issue price (ca. 150 €) was too high for what it delivers. If you can get it on sale for around 110-120 €, however, it begins to make sense.

Really nice mature sherry nose but a bit sharp and too grainy, harsh on the palate