Finlaggan Old Reserve review
November 28, 2015
Bunnahabhain logo
Bunnahabhain 12 year old review
December 1, 2015
Finlaggan Old Reserve review
November 28, 2015
Bunnahabhain logo
Bunnahabhain 12 year old review
December 1, 2015

Black Bull Deluxe 12 year old review

Black Bull whisky logo

Black Bull is a Deluxe Blended Soctch whisky brand by Duncan Taylor. Deluxe, because along with a non age statement called Kyloe, they also have very old blended whiskies under the label. They have Black Bull 21, 30 and 40 year old whiskies. I myself am not a fan of blends so I always take “deluxe” or “premium” blended whiskies with a pinch of salt. So I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting much from Black Bull 12 year old whisky. The fact that it didn’t even have a majority of malt, didn’t sound good to me.

Black Bull 12 year old blended whisky review

Black Bull 12YO is made using Highland and Speyside malt whiskies matured in refill Ex-Sherry European Oak butts and refill Ex-Bourbon American Oak hogsheads. Then the malt is being blended together with Lowland grain whisky matured in refill Ex-Bourbon American Oak barrels. The ratio is 50% malt to 50% grain and Duncan Taylor bottles the whisky cask strength with an alcohol per volume level of 50%. The whisky is un-chill filtered.

Really a DARK HORSE

Like I mentioned before, I was being an elitist about this blend, but Black Bull 12YO managed to surprise me big time! I really wasn’t expecting “a ride of my life” like some marketing texts implied, but it didn’t fall much short from that. The name does imply a bit more, there is horsepower behind this dram but it is no bull. It is definitely black: dark in every way and that’s why I like it.

I’m gonna name this the Dark Horse. No, this isn’t like the movie in question (this is much better), the name just fits right in with this dram. Make sure to use some water with this blend.

Matured in:
Ex-Sherry butts, Ex-Bourbon hogsheads and barrels
Colour: Full gold
Nose: Smoke fades away very quickly after the first whiff. Starts with very sweet notes and gets bit darker at the end. Bit peaty with sherry. Pears and sweet berries are present as well.
Taste: Very thick stuff, creamy and dark toffee dominates the palate. Dark fruits are very strong too. Well, everything is dark. Drops of water made this whisky feel like espresso.
Finish: Good aftertaste, but it could be stronger and last longer. Raw chocolate and a nice roasted coffee feel.
Balance: Water opens up Black Bull 12 year old nicely. This is a very fine blend, the best blended Scotch I’ve had so far. It really is a Deluxe blend, which shows in the price as well.

Scoring

88
Nose:Taste:Finish:Balance:
23
22
21
22
Bottler: Duncan Taylor Brand: Black Bull Region: Malts from Highland and Speyside, grains from Lowland Non-chill filtered ABV: 50%
Johannes Lindblom
Johannes Lindblom
Finnish whisky enthusiast and the author of WhiskyRant! A digital marketing professional by day – a whisky reviewer and informer by night.

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