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've been drinking single cask, malt whiskeys for years, at about £50-£70, from Sunday Times Wine Club. I was given this DoubleWood 12 as a present. And I was impressed. So I hit the internet to see what it was worth. Now I'm really impressed. I will definitely be ordering more of this, & less of the single cask bottles. I am not a connoisseur, but I can tell the good from the bad. And this is good.
I was given a bottle of this for my 6oth Birthday and have to congratulate you for the best whiskey on the market today. Well Done 5Stars from me.
Doesn't exhibit many clear faults, but it strikes me as hot and lacking subtlety.
.
Not as good as I thought it would be. Loved the smokiness though.
