Balvenie DoubleWood is, to not much surprise, aged in two kinds of oak casks! It was firstly matured in refill American oak casks before it was treated to a finish in first fill European oak Oloroso sherry butts for an additional nine months. The expression was launched in 1993, and has become a somewhat iconic whisky over the years. Even at 12 years old, this rich and complex dram is an excellent example of what the Balvenie distillery can craft.
Gristy, supple nuttiness intertwined with spices. Honeyed sultanas and grapes. Hugely inviting.
Sweet with good body. The bourbon characters develop; gentle spice with a little vanilla, a hint of balancing peat lurking quietly in the substrata. Dried fruit too, combining with nuts, nutmeg, cinnamon, back into the bourbon notes - so well integrated.
Spicy, slightly drying, still sweet.
A classic, always a pleasure to revisit. (This is also a single malt with the ability to convert a non-whisky drinker with its deliciousness...)
I have been drinking scotch for many years, mostly in the realm of Glenlivet 15; Glenmorangie Port and Glenmorangie Sherry. Seems that is my price range. I'm not a smokey or a peat lover, rather the smoothness of Balvenie DoubleWood has met my needs and taste.
Nice Scotch, but not a GREAT single malt. Balvenie Dbl Wood has increased in price substantially more than Glenlivit and Glennfiddich! Why? I was predominantly a Balvenie fan for years as it was a decent scotch, at a decent price for average to better value. In this past 18 months, Grant & Sons kept pushing pricing too aggressively. It simply wasn't and isn't worth the premium they ask vs. other solid single malts. Markets are a fragile thing......
Granted I'm a Laphraoig fan, which is distinctly different. I'm fine with Chivas and enjoy Auchentoshan. I was underwhelmed by Balvenie. Perhaps just my unsophisticated palate, but it tasted: harsh and average. Sorry.
Excelente Calidad y Excelente Whisky de Malta.
Bought this for the first time in a few years today because it wasn't overly priced which it typically is here in Cali nowadays and I'm glad I did because it's just as good as I remember it being. So smells like cinnamon apples and candied hazelnuts, tastes like sweet sherried oak, caramel , toffee ,raisins , orange peels, cinnamon and honey . An absolute pleasure to drink this is one of the whiskies that got me into scotch and is probably the best introduction to speyside whisky in my opinion. Definitely a classic very flavorful goes down smooth too bad it's getting so expensive. The sugarbear
