Bladnoch and the State of the Industry

It's a bit too quiet lately so I'll throw this in:

Personal finances are affecting my malt budget lately, and I have been forced to deplete some of those bottles I set aside for an unknown "someday" some while ago.

Recently opened an 8 yo. 1984 Bladnoch GMCC @ 40% ABV. It's summertime. It's hot, and a light whisky sounded very nice. I didn't expect much, but I was surprised. This is a very full whisky, with powerful flavors. Many tasters refer to "lemon" and "lemongrass flavors" in Lowland whiskys, and I seldom get that, but I get it strongly in this dram. And if only all Bladnochs were this luscious! Even my wife, who is not a fan of Scotch whiskies, likes this one.

Tasting a few of the whiskys I archived a decade ago I am surprized by how good a whisky was available for $35 to $40, even less. The whisky industry is very cyclic: boom and bust, expanding and contracting: in economic terms that means the industry is honest. Prices are not kept level by government intervention. So where are we now in that cycle?

In some respects we are suffering from the decline of the 1980's, like in the availability of Lagavulin and Oban (both still available locally though you are begining to have to look for Lagavulin) and the few offerings from Springbank. But the 1990's were an unprecedented era of growth for the popularity of single malts. Shouldn't we soon see a surplus of offerings of young (8 and 10 yo.) whiskies?

Of course the Lowland whiskys which are traditionally offered young are currently out of favor, and several distilleries are closed. But Islay whiskies are very interesting at a young age. Will we be seeing more young Caol Ilas and Ardbegs? How long before Bruichladdich offers its first Port Charlottes and Octomores?

As a rule of thumb (with many exceptions noted) I've long thought that:

Lowlands are best young.

Highlands are best old.

Speysides are best in the middle ages.

Islays are best either young or old. and

Campbeltons are interesting at all ages.

As the whisky industry moves from bottling the slight production of the eighties to the (presumably) greater production of the nineties can we look forward to more wonderful inexpensive bottles, like the 1984 Bladnoch I mentioned above? On the local shelves, interesting whiskies are mostly in the $50 to $75 range now. There has been a definite trend towards fine expensive whiskies in the new offerings I've heard about - and the ones that have appeared locally. I want my favorite producers to prosper, and many of the expensive whiskies I've tried *have* been worth the price, but if the industry entirely neglects the mid price market (locally those between $30 and $50, our prices are higher than many markets) where will new enthusiasts come from?

Many of the great inexpensive malts of the last decade were bottled by the Vintage Malt Whisky Company and their Coopers Choice label, by Gordon & Macphail, and by Signatory. What are they doing these days?

Bart

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Bart
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