Balvenie Triple Cask 12 Year

Nose: Honey, malt, sweet cereal, some dried red apples and orange peel - it's reminiscent of a muesli snack bar. There are oak notes but they are light and more like sawdust than old cask. There is also a minty presence that comes out as it rests, and a little toffee. The nose never gains great complexity but it is very well balanced and enjoyable. Palate: Soft arrival and a luscious texture, fruity and malty with a touch of gentle spice. Relaxed development with apricot, a little light honey, some trace vanilla and a touch of sweet weak black tea. Creamy but slightly dry. The more you taste it the more you become aware of the oloroso presence and the fact that the palate and finish are fundamentally of a sherried character, but the wine presence is never overt and this is nothing like a sherry-bomb. Finish: Medium. Fruity/malt notes fade into a pleasantly sweet aftertaste with trace flourishes of warm cinnamon, clove and orange. This is a lighter, crisper style of Balvenie than the 12 year Doublewood, and indeed most of the core range. The nose is very pleasant but the palate is superior and where the real personality resides. If you find the Doublewood a little too heavy on the caramel and sweet fruity notes this may well be more to your taste. It would be an over-simplification to say this is the Doublewood with additional oloroso cask maturation, but not entirely inaccurate. I've never had a bad Balvenie and this very pleasant expression carries on the tradition. 3% higher abv could be interesting, but might also make it less approachable for some palates. At 40% it can't take much water so if doing so just add a drop or two, but it's not really needed. This is fine as it is. The only issue I have is the price which at 150% the cost of the 12 year Doublewood is too high for my liking. However if you can find it on special it's a recommend buy. To misquote the late, great John Martyn "some whiskies are just plain good". "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

creamy sweet chocolate, caramel, sweetness, pleasant toffee, melted mashmellow, mid pep 3 creamy delicate sweetness, chocolate, toffee, mashmellow toasted, lightr oaky and low low smoke, little bitterness and mellows out quite fast 2.5 low sustaining, oaky and dies fast 2.25 2.5 grape. red fruits, cream, mid to high pep, 2.5 Malty, slight dryness at the back, but thick creamy grapes and red fruits, sweetness and balance salty and bitterness 2.5 oaky, mid to high sustain with light peat 2.5 2.5 Not peppery sweetness Smokey balance 3.75 Flavour smooth, light oiliness, raisins, nuts, caramel 2.75 Finish Wood, light smoke, heat at the back 2

Nose: Caramel sweetness, brown sugar and vanilla. Pancakes with maple syrup. Subtle fruitiness, lychee with a ginger syrup Palate: Sweet and toasty. Cinnamon buns. Vanilla creme brulee. Ginger there too with citrus Finish: Peanut brittle, ginger cookies, lovely. Long and lingering. Nutmeg banana bread for a long while Overall: Really nice and complex, though not quite perfectly balanced. Overall good for sipping, and a nice long finish.

My final review of the whisky tasting i had for world whisky day, the Balvenie Triple Cask was fun, but nothing to remember for ages. Bottled at 40%abv, russetmuscat color. On the nose: Bananas, caramel, honey and Salt. On the Palate, it was spicy in a pleasant way, with pepper; chilli and ashes. Caramel was present there. The finish was medium long. Overall it was a 75/100, a fair dram.

Nose is light, floral, hints of bourbon. Smooth, even, subtle grassy notes, some lollipop sweetness like a white dum dum. Overall very subtle right now. Will be interesting to see how the bottle progresses. I think there is a different dimension to this but the other skews (doublewood, Caribbean cask, American oak) win so far.

Solid Speyside scotch. It’s reminiscent of the classic Doublewood, but a bit more musty. The big notes I get are malt, must and red fruit. Very easy to drink and more rich than one would expect from an 80 proof offering.