Ballantine's Limited

”That Don’t Impress Me Much” 

Whisky Review # 937

Country: Scotland

Brand: Ballantine's Limited

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: Probably a Mix of Ex-Bourbon casks & Sherried Wood

Chill Filtration: Yes

Average Price: US$ 160-190 (November 2021)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👇Too expensive for what it offers. The ABV is too low!
Buying Advice: 😡 Just not good enough at this Price level!

Colour:

Golden Amber (Artificially Colored)

Nose:

Not unpleasant but very Light. The ABV is clearly too low. In the UK this Blend is bottled at 43% and that makes total sense. I bought my bottle at the Travel Retail shop at the Sao Paulo airport. The Nose presents some Fruity and Floral notes and the Sherry cask influence is noticeable as is the Grain Alcohol. I was expecting a lot more though.

Main Aromas:

Grain Alcohol, Sweet Barley, Toast and Margarine, Toffee, Dried Fruit like Sultanas, Raisins and Plums, Sweet Apple, Pear, Nectarine, Charred Oak, Cinnamon & Cloves.

  

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Heather Honey, Vanilla, Green Grapes, Orange, Lemon, Cherry-Flavored Yogurt, Burnt Embers and Dough/Yeast. Traces of Licorice and Leather.

Palate:

Weak delivery. The low ABV does not do justice to this Blend. The Palate is a mainly Sweet mixture of Fruity, Floral & Herbal notes. The Grain Alcohol rules unfortunately and the Malt content remains mostly hidden. It's not really bad but at this price level we should get a lot more!
 
Main Flavours:

Grain Alcohol, Sweet Barley, Toffee/Caramel, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Sultanas, Sweet Red Apple, Pear, Orange, Charred Oak, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Cloves & Ginger.   

Supportive Flavour Accents:
   
Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Nectarine, Toast and Margarine, Lemon, White Chocolate, Cinnamon, Leather and Cherry-Flavored Yogurt.

Finish:

On the Short side as was to be expected given the standard ABV. The Grain Alcohol is quite noticeable and it becomes a little Edgy and Hot towards the end. I also find Sweet Barley, Slightly Burnt Toast, Dried Fruit like Sultanas and Apricots, Orange, Sweet Apples, Pear, Heather-Honey, Toffee, White Chocolate, Charred Oak, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Menthol and Licorice. The Finish is quite Sweet & Medium Dry.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water cools down the Grain Alcohol but does not help in any other way. The ABV is already too low as it is. I can't help but get the JW Red feeling!

Rating: 82.5

Nose: 21.5  - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20  - Overall: 20.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Drinking Experience On the Rocks: Okay/Good

Conclusion:

This expensive Blend contains some Malt from selected rare casks distilled at a/o Miltonduff & Glenburgie. But Ballantine’s owner, French Pernod-Ricard Group, also possesses Aberlour, The Glenlivet, Strathisla, Longmorn, Scapa & Tormore. So we might assume at least some of them to be part of this blend. I'm thoroughly disappointed by the Limited. It starts with the low ABV that does not do justice to this Blend. The overal feeling is Thin and Weak. And that's unacceptable at this price level. The presentation and bottle are first class but the whisky isn't. And that's what matters to me. It's not a bad blend of course but it's certainly not worth the money. Even on the rocks this blend does not convince on account of the low ABV. The idea behind the Limited is good but the result does not impress at all.

Cheers! 🥃

Jan van den Ende                                                                  November 24, 2021