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'm completely aghast at the total lack of objectivity in these reviews. If it doesn't taste good, it isn't! This one TASTES GOOD! Smooth enough to drink anytime you so desire, complex enough to please ANY educated palate, no obnoxious sulphury peat taste. If I wanted sulphur, I'd chew a kitchen match. Smoke your cigar later, enjoy this now. By the way, it won't break the bank... Cheers.
This is a great scotch. Its sweet up front but robust thereafter. Not overly powerful but well rounded taste. No distinct peat / smokeyness,
Picked up the Balvenie 12 year DoubleWood on the recommendation from some colleagues who rave about their longer aged bottlings. This one was fairly affordable and a good introduction to Balvenie (and Speyside whisky in general). I can see what people mean when they say it's a beginner's or introductory Speyside single malt. While, it isn't the most complex and challenging whisky around (especially in it's price range of $70 a bottle where I live in Texas) and the finish is a tad lacking (Ralfy mentions this in his review of the DW 12 and I agree completely), I still find some positives in this whisky that make it worth having in the cabinet. The nose is fantastic. It's got a wonderful light and refreshing spice and citrus smell to it. The taste is more of that with some good sweetness to it. Not much beyond that, but what it does have is quite enjoyable. I like it enough that I try not to blow through the bottle and look forward to tasting it and sharing it with others. I would definitely purchase it again when it's finished.
Bought this after I read about it here... just what I expected, thank you guys!
I'm in the Cigar House in Old San Juan and it goes great with a Gloria Cubana Serie R!
