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...)
..never stop. Nice balanced. Perfect for a malt beginner as myself
Love the name. Doublewood is the way to go. Good scotch. Tastes like scotch. However, I have trouble believing that they are the ONLY distillery that malts in their own traditional floor maltings and still employs a team of coppersmiths. That can't be true.
I had this at a whisky bar and loved it. Got notes of raisins, pound cake, green apple, corn, and vanilla among many other things. I went out and bought a bottle, naturally, and was a little disappointed in how (as many people have stated) mellow, and middle of the road it is. As an islay fan I do appreciate a nice fruity/sweet break now and again, but I still have a lot more to explore, and I feel I could find it's equal without too much searching.
Like other reviewers have noted, the Balvenie DoubleWood 12 may seem a bit too smooth, almost to the point of being bland. I decided to mix it with about 10 to 15% Talisker 10 and I think the combination is better than either one its own.
I've spent the last couple months trying every 12 y\o scotch I could get my hands on. I'm up to nearly a dozen (8 or 9 single malts and a couple blends). So far The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 is far and away my favorite. The Macallan and Glenfiddich would be a distant second and third. Wonderful nose... Warm and spicy... More than reasonably priced. Now on to some more mature offerings... Think I'll start with the DoubleWood 17.
