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...)
And it went down smooth. My first Balveine at the time, it was recommended by a co-worker. I enjoy the 12, 14, 15 and 21 year. The older the better with Balveine.
I was a bourbon drinker, got a bottle of doublewood, and I am now a scotch lover. This stuff is honestly amazing, you cannot tell you're sipping 90+ proof whisky when this swirls around your mouth.
I'm mainly a beer & wine guy and I dabble into Ky bourbon from time to time. But I lately started to explore single malt scotch and decided to start with Balvenie Doublewood 12-year. Incredible! Though I've tasted different scotches before, this was my first bottle of scotch that I've bought. Very smooth texture and magnificent flavors. If you're new to scotch (like me) this is a great one to start with. The peaty scotches of Islay are a little too smoky and strong for me right now, but I'm sure I'll warm up to them eventually. But my first impression with scotch is a very good one thanks to Balvenie 12-year old Doublewood.
I've been exploring "budget" Scotches for quite some time, and it is getting harder and harder for me to find a 40 - 60$ bottle of Scotch that I haven't tried yet. That being said, this is as good a bottle of Scotch as there is in the 40 - 60$ price range. You simply will not find a better, more balanced, and warm single malt out there. The initial palate impressions are vanilla, brown sugar, and a little spice. The thing I really enjoy about this scotch is the texture. It is much cleaner than some of the other cheaper, tripled distilled, Scotches out there. It fills your mouth and the flavor coats your entire palate, not just the specific sensory buds on the tip of your tongue and back of your throat. the finish is quick, with not a lot of lingering woodiness. I love this Scotch, and it has become my go to standard. I have had some very experienced Scotch drinkers blind taste test this against much more expensive and longer aged bottles, and they consistently pick the Balvenie over the others. Don't listen to the negative reviews. This is a little budget gem of a whiskey.
Superb, smooth as silk
