Balblair 12 Years Old 2012 Cask #3228 (Keeble Cask Company Ltd.)

Bottled by Keeble Cask Company Ltd. in 2025 as a 12 year old single cask release drawn from cask 3228 of 2012 vintage Balblair with 274 bottles distributed to the European market at high cask strength of 58.2%. Keeble Cask Company is a UK based independent bottling project focused on small batch single cask Scotch releases at natural strength.

Distilled at Balblair distillery in Edderton, Easter Ross in the Northern Highlands, founded in 1790 by John Ross and owned by Inver House Distillers under ThaiBev since 1996. The wash is made from unpeated malted barley with soft Allt Dearg Burn water from the hills above Edderton, mashed in a stainless steel semi lauter mash tun and fermented for 48 to 62 hours in six closed wooden washbacks of Douglas fir and Oregon pine. Balblair runs the spirit through one wash and one spirit still of classic stumpy, flat top shape, both steam heated with shell and tube condensers, with new make collected at around 68% ABV. The spirit was filled into a single Sauternes wine cask for 12 years of on site maturation.

Primary ester development sat alongside French oak Sauternes chemistry. Botrytised Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc residues bring concentrated monosaccharides for honey and dried apricot, while botrytis derived sotolon adds subtle curry leaf and fenugreek. Gamma butyrolactone from the French oak gives soft sweet wood, integrated with Balblair's Highland coastal character at 58.2%.