Little Brown Dog Balblair 2014 12yo & Little Brown Dog Orkney 2001 24yo

Little Brown Dog Balblair 2014 12yo Calvados Cask Finish

Region: Highlands

ABV: 56.1%

Price: £118.00 

Distilled at Balblair on the 5th April 2014 and bottled by Little Brown Dog Spirits on the 6th of May 2026 after 12 years of maturation, this small-batch release was initially matured in bourbon before the whisky was combined and finished for a little over 18 months in a Calvados cask (that had previously held white port) sourced from Normandy. The release produced 290 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with honey butter, apple slices, apricot preserve, honeycomb, digestive biscuits and pear schnapps. It's a very expressive nose, it literally jumps out of the glass - and the alcohol feels present but balanced, it's quite easy to get deep into the glass. Going back, we're getting golden syrup, vanilla ice cream and a little light caramel. There's a slight bit of fermented-foost going on but it works with the profile. 

Palate

The palate opens with a big hit of apples, a little melon, sparkling wine, grape must, caramel sauce and light vanilla flavours. There's a maltiness behind all of these more cask-forward notes which shows how the Balblair spirit can stand up to these bolder flavours. The texture is fairly viscous, like a strong sugar syrup, and the finish lingers on for quite a while with a nice effervescence and handful of dark cocoa nibs.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more of an apple-forward profile, mixed with lighter sugar syrup, a few tea leaves thrown in there, and something a little more new-makey.. it feels more youthful with the addition of water. There's also some butter biscuits in the background. We'd skip water here, it doesn't particularly help the dram.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate is a bit fizzier upfront, more green apples, lemon, chocolate coated digestives, and honeycomb. It feels more refined with a few drops of water, although it loses a tiny bit of texture. You could go either way here.

Conclusion

This is a really well done finish - it manages to showcase the calvados (and a little bit of that original white port in our opinion), but maintains the spirit character in the background. It's perhaps not a dram we'd reach for daily, but we can't deny that it's a well made whisky.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

Worth shopping around if you want this one Tyndrum Whisky currently have this available at £110.

Little Brown Dog Orkney 2001 24yo

Region: Highlands

ABV: 53.1%

Price: £99.00

Distilled on 30 August 2001 and bottled by Little Brown Dog Spirits on 21 July 2026 after 24 years of maturation, this small-batch Orkney single malt is a vatting of two sister refill hogsheads. The two casks produced 428 bottles in total.

Nose

The nose opens with lemon water, tangerine skins, fondant icing, poached pear and only a suggestion of smoke, more in an earthy, slightly meaty way. There's a definite coastal tinge to the dram, saline solution, fudge and some freshly cut grass appearing too. The alcohol is well integrated although we'd say the dram needs a bit of air to really open up. It does nose quite old though - there's a little bit of that antique wood aroma here too.

Palate

The palate opens with a burst of citrus and raspberry, lemons, tart red berries, vanilla ice cream, fudge, sherbet, and soft, gentle smoke that only really makes itself known on the finish, more on the earthy, vegetal side. The salinity is also still there, and there's a bit of cask char smokiness also appearing on subsequent sips. There's less of that old polished oak than the nose suggested, but it's a very well balanced whisky, with not one aspect vying for centre stage. It also has a decent, simple syrup-like texture and a light pepperiness from the alcohol.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has a bit more of that old oak, now being a little charred, smoked apple skins, toasted almonds, peach stones and a few gummy sweets in the background. The salinity is still present, but overall it feels a tad thinner now. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate maintains the burst of raspberry and lemon, but moves quickly into a darker sweetness, like burnt caramel and molasses. The smoke is definitely more prominent now, and the dram has become a lot nuttier and saltier. It's not better or worse with water, just different, so up to your personal taste.

Conclusion

A solid, well-aged Highland Park. It's letting the distillate do the talking, whilst maintaining enough wood character to add sweetness and body. It's not a dram to jump out of the glass, but not all drams need to.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

Great value for a 24yo Highland Park.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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