Balvenie Single Barrel 12 Year

Review #099 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 47.8% Comments: aged 12 years, matured in a 1st-fill bourbon barrel Tasted after: first up Appearance (no score): Golden straw color. Swirling reveals a thick line sticking to the side of the glass, legs are slow to form. Nose: 16/20 Fresh Granny Smith apples, closer actually to green Jolly Rancher candies. A dash of cinnamon, a little bit of caramel, some vanilla, and a faint tropical aroma. There’s also a whiff of alcohol which reminds me of a rum floater on a piña colada. Palate: 33/40 Very fresh and smooth, with a relatively thin mouthfeel. Honey, crisp green pears, grain cereals, some salinity, and walnuts. Finish: 31/40 Starts with smooth vanilla and salted milk chocolates, then oak spice and lemon rind introduces some spice and bitterness. Ends on a salty and mildly bitter note which reminds me of the flavor that lingers after having just chewed walnuts. With Water: A few drops of water introduces buttered croissants to the nose and grapefruit citrus to the finish. Total: 80/100 Final thoughts: Some drams are very warming, this one strikes me more as cool and clean. It tastes younger than the age statement, and seems to have very little wood influence, but is still smooth with a great balance of sweet and bitter. Overall it’s a very nice way to start off the evening, I was especially enjoying this one during the summer months earlier this year. Price: $75 Would recommend: yes Would buy: yes Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

I haven't done one of these in a while. Not because I have not been drinking whisky but I have been exploring a lot of single cask IB which doesn't lend to reviews since each barrel is so idiosyncratic. I recently did a side-by-side tasting of this 12-year old Balvenie aged exclusively in ex-Bourbon barrels alongside the 15-year old Balvenie aged exclusively in ex-Sherry barrels. They provided a perfect contrast and example of the two styles and really accentuated what the two casks bring to the table. In the case of the 12-year ex Bourbon: This bottle is from cask# 11639 and even though a single-cask, it is not cask strength and is proofed down to a respectable 47.8% The nose was all flowers and honey, very fragrant. Maybe some fresh cut grass. The palate was sweet vanilla and honey. Very rich thanks to a higher abv and NCF. The finish was medium length but just a little pepper spice and carmel. The color was so strong yellow/amber that I thought it was colored but while I cannot be certain it appears to be natural color and it is quite deep and hypnotic. While this is definitely a cask-driven whisky the Balvenie distillate does have a characteristic that is there and takes well to the bourbon cask. A really great example of a harmonious marriage of cask and spirit. This is not a super complex whisky but very drinkable and imho a perfect example of what flavors a first fill ex-Bourbon will impart to a spirit. I am tempted to mix this with the 15-year ex-Sherry single barrel and compare to the 12-year Doublewood which is a mixture of the two cask types. Balvenie is my silent partner. One of my favorite production whiskys that I don't think about but when I want to relax with a nice pour I often go to Balvenie. It is just so tasty and easy to drink and it really gets a lot of nice flavors from the wood.

Oh boy am I excited to try this one. Balvenie's Single Barrel 12 year is matured in first fill American white oak ex-bourbon barrels so this sounds like quite the mouth watering proposition. The nose explodes with fruit. Extremely sweet honey drizzled pears and grapes with candied apricots. Vanilla swirls with that honey to create a luscious sweetness. Although pleasant, it isn't overly complex and I'm really hoping there's significantly more bourbon barrel influence on the taste. The taste is very light and subtle. Immediately I feel that this single malt is probably a great "premium" pick for someone who isn't heavy into whisky. It is light, sweet and inoffensive but in some ways a bit of a disappointment for what I was expecting. That honey lingers throughout the taste, mixing with powdered sugar dusted apples, pears and grapes. There is the faintest hint of charred oak on the back of the taste but really, this whisky is predominately fruit forward and extremely bright, almost effervescent. The finish is light and a little spicy. Cinnamon sugar creates a little tongue prickle mixed with just enough tannic bite to balance out the finish. It actually kind of leaves you wanting those characteristics within the main body of the taste. This is a very light, airy single malt from one of the best distilleries in the world. Honestly, I'm not entirely convinced this was worth the price of entry. For just thirty or so dollars more, you could have a bottle of their absolutely stunning Curious Casks 14 year bourbon barrel that imparts way more character. In some ways, this single barrel 12 year perfectly fits the mold of " inoffensive, drinkable single malt" but at this price it really should have had something to make it stand out from the crowd.

I've been going through my collection looking for bottles that I've yet to review--all in the name of empiricism! Clear straw color; no apparent coloring added. Somewhat reticent nose reveals apple, hay, honey, and surprisingly less vanilla than I've experienced with other whiskies--but perhaps consistent with what the labeling refers to as the "subtle vanilla oak" which is the consistent goal for each hand-selected barrel. In contradistinction to the nose, which is something of a wallflower, the palate is the life of the party, with an almost oily mouthfeel; new oak consistent with the first-fill bourbon cask maturation; noticeable ethanol consistent with the above-average ABV; and a focused finish with both pepper and oakiness. With a fruity nose and assertive palate, this makes for an interesting and intellectually enjoyable drink which, like a puzzle, takes a bit of time to put together. There are more complex (and expensive) scotches around, but this is one that I'll keep onhand. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. Each bottle is "no more than 300 drawn from a single cask" which is hand-selected for consistent taste. Cask # 19029; bottle # 37. Non-chill filtered; 47.8% ABV. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat from a Glencairn glass.

Admittedly I’m a fan of Balvenie, ever since the 12 Year Doublewood sent me exploring down the scotch path all those years ago. As a member of the core range, this Balvenie Single Barrel spent 12 years in bourbon casks and boasts a hefty ABV. While sharing the same age as its Balvenie sibling, this bottle is wildly different than its Doublewood brethren - the ultra friendly Doublewood being a great ‘intro to scotch’ and the Single Barrel being a rugged bruiser. Strong astringent grass, barley, and bourbon-like vanilla on the nose, followed by a bitter explosion of similar notes when taking a sip. The finish is bold with a honeyed sweetness. Definitely enjoyable. Really can’t recall other bottles of scotch with this profile. Rating: Distiller score of 89 is probably spot on. This comparatively unique single barrel scotch is worth a spin - a pour for sure if not a bottle. Cheers Cask Number: 5303 Bottle Number: 68

발베니 12년 싱글배럴 퍼스트필 ex버번배럴 Balvenie Single Barrel 12y First Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel 47.8% 향 : 놀랍습니다. 마치 카야+바닐라 잼을 얇게 펴서 구운 빵에 발라놓은 듯 합니다. 아몬두, 농도가 물처럼 낮은 꿀, 비스킷의 달콤고소함이 좋게 다가옵니다. 맛 : 부드럽고 은은합니다. 다른 어린 숙성 년수들의 직관적인 강렬함과는 다르게 은은한 풍미가 매력적입니다. 풀과 꽃향기가 은은히 퍼지고, 부드러운 질감이 실키하게 입안을 감쌉니다. 다만 부드러운 맛 때문에 자칫 밍밍하다고 느낄 수 있으나, 이 기회에 밍밍함이 아닌, 복합적인 향과 맛이라는 것을 연습할만한 좋은 밸런스입니다. 피니쉬 : 목넘김에 약간의 새콤달콤함을 남기고, 이후 버번캐스크 답게 기름진 견과류가 입안에서 너울집니다. 다만 저숙성과 싱글배럴로 인한 알코올 향도 아쉽게 같이 퍼집니다. 한줄평 : 저숙성에서도 실키한 풍미를 줄 수 있다