Ballantine's 10 Years
Ballantine's blend that you can drink neat. Aged for at least ten years, with honey, flowers and soft oak, and a long, sweet finish that the Finest does not have.
What an extra ten years does
Ballantine's 10 Years is a blended Scotch whose whiskies have all been aged for at least ten years. Master blender Sandy Hyslop combines more than forty malt and grain whiskies from four Scottish regions: the Lowlands, the Highlands, Speyside and Islay. The bottle is bottled in Dumbarton, just like the Finest.
The difference from the Finest lies in its age. The Finest has no age statement and is light and fresh, made for mixing. Longer maturation makes 10 Years rounder and sweeter, with more oak and a distinctly longer finish. The alcohol content is the same: 40%. If you want to taste Ballantine's neat, start here.
In brief
Honey, flowers and sweet oak
Honey & flowers
Sweet honey and a floral note, underpinned by soft oak. More mature and rounder than the Finest.
Sweet and soft
Sweet and soft on the palate, with honey and the sweetness of oak. Smooth enough to drink neat.
Long and fresh
A long, refreshing and sweet finish. This is the biggest difference from the Finest, which has a shorter finish.
Flavour profile of Ballantine's 10 Years neat, at room temperature. A few drops of water bring out more of the honey.
How to taste 10 Years
This blend is made to be enjoyed neat or on the rocks. Take your time: the finish is the reason to buy it.
Neat in a tasting glass
Pour 30 ml at room temperature into a tulip-shaped tasting glass. Smell it first, then take a small sip and let it linger in your mouth. Then add a few drops of water and taste the difference.
Tasting glasses →On the rocks
40 ml over one large ice cube in a heavy tumbler. A large cube melts slowly, chilling the whisky without diluting it too quickly.
Whisky glasses →Luxury highball
40 ml of 10 Years with 120 ml of chilled soda water in a tall glass filled with ice, garnished with a lemon zest. Its more mature flavour gives this highball more depth than the Finest.
Highball recipe →Classics for a more mature blend
In cocktails where the whisky takes centre stage, the extra age pays off.
Old Fashioned
Whisky, sugar, bitters and orange zest. With a smooth Scotch, honey-sweet and rounded.
Penicillin
Blended Scotch with lemon, honey and ginger. The honey in the 10 Years is a perfect match.
Godfather
Scotch and amaretto over ice. Two ingredients, sweet and warming.
Hot Toddy
Whisky, hot water, honey and lemon. A wintry classic for cold evenings.The right glass for Ballantine's 10 Years
A tasting glass to capture the nose, a heavy tumbler for on the rocks and the Old Fashioned, and a tall glass for the highball.
More Ballantine's flavours
Ballantine's
Where it began. On the brand page, you'll find everything about Ballantine's: origins, varieties and classic cocktails.
To Ballantine's →Everything about whisky: the types, the best-known brands and the cocktails.
Questions about Ballantine's 10 Years
Can't find your question? Read more on the Ballantine's page or browse our cocktail recipes.
Everything about Ballantine's →