Whisky Party

The Balvenie is a distillery I seem to always hear quite a bit about, but tend to pass by to continue to purchase some of my other standards, or save up for some big purchase.  I decided the other day to give it a chance and purchase The Balvenie Double Wood, aged 12 years.

Balvenie Doublewood

The Balvenie distillery has been owned and managed by the same independent family company for 5 generations.  Which, in this day and age of consolidation and mass production, is pretty impressive.  Furthermore, this distillery is the only one that still grows its own barley, that it then malts in traditional floor maltings, and still has coopers to tend all the casks and a coppersmith for the stills.  Those last two points, whether or not they’re added just to give the distillery the “only” tag, are still pretty cool.  The act of coopering, and the skill that involves, is still pretty amazing.  Even if it is a standard amongst distilleries, I appreciate the fact that the distillery calls it out on their bottle.

The coopering is especially important for this release – the DoubleWood is matured in ex American Whisky-oak casks for the majority of its life, and then switched to a second aging in European Sherry Oak casks for  a “few” months.

Cost: $33

ABV: 43%

Age:12 years

Color: Reddish gold.  Very bright.

Legs: Medium large, medium slow.

Nose: Strong caramel.  A little vanilla, backed by apples, or maybe a little cinnamon cider.  Raisins.

Taste: The sherry is pretty powerful, but not in a bad way.  The caramel and the apples have fused and take a back seat to the sherry taste.  The caramel stays throughout, with the finish creating a really nice dried fruit taste. Maybe fig-like, maybe prune-like, but a sweetened fruit that puckers your tongue to give the impression of texture.

Overall: This is a really enjoyable whisky.  I purchased it thinking it might sit on the shelf while my islay whiskies were drained, and now there’s only about a quarter of a bottle left.  Frankly, it’s one of those whiskies that I feel some blenders try and create – something smooth to drink, with good notes of sweetness, but nothing too overpowering.  The fact that it’s an aged single malt makes that even more impressive.  The fruit is definitely strong, but it’s not cloying.  For $33 a bottle at 43%, I feel like I’m getting a really good deal.  Add in the fact that it’s aged in two different styles of barrels, where they explain how the barrels add various flavors to the dram on the bottle sleeve (and include a sweet pamphlet on the distillery’s history), thereby increasing the general knowledge of whisky to the public is icing on the cake.  I give this whisky, nothing amazing but a really tasty, strong showing of a daily drinker,  an 86.

Other Opinions: (please note that some of these are for the 40%abv version of DoubleWood)

• Oak and Smoke likeys, concluding that “The traditional whisky cask makes sure the DoubleWood grows up to be a fine, upstanding Scotch, while the sherry cask acts as a finishing school designed to add depth and character.”
• ForPeatSake is a little bit all over the place.  I’d say the average review here is in the mid-80s.
• Chatterwocky, though thinking the scotch stands up pretty well claims “The Balvenie Doublewood couldn’t compete with his 15- and 21-year Balvenies, or the Islay syrup that knocked my dick in the dirt.”  Alright then.
• TastingNotesPeriodical in what I hope is a continuing trend writes a haiku
  “Seduced by honey,
  The whisky I was promised
  Toasts the end of stress.”
• TheAspiringGentleman finds more alcohol burn at 40% than I did at 43%.  He did get some of the same mouthful feel and delicous caramel (he doesn’t even wash the glasses so he can nose the next day).

Related posts:

1. NYC: Balvenie 17 Year Retrospective on May 15
2. 40 Whiskies under $40: Macallan Fine Oak 10 Years Old
3. 40 Whiskies under $40: Glenfiddich 15 year old