January 22, 2014

Two new official Balvenie

It's no secret that I love Balvenie, but I have to confess that all these figures and numbers are making me feel giddy. Single barrels, double maturation, triple casks, not to mention the Tuns... Anyway, there's this new triple, we'll have it first despite the fact that it's a 16, since it's lighter than the single 12. Ooh my head...

Balvenie 16 yo 'Triple Cask' (40%, OB, 2013)

There is a true recipe behind this name, but I find wood technology boring so I won't mention it. Colour: full gold. Nose: mastered for sure. Mirabelle jam, apricot pie, acacia honey, dandelions and vanilla crème, then broken branches - which is much nicer than newly sawn oak. Extremely easy, extremely pleasant. Unstoppable, in a way. Mouth: works. I had feared the 40% vol. would be too low, not at all (yet, I'm sure 43% or better yet, 46% would have worked even better - right, 43.1% and 46.3% ;-)). Custard, cinnamon pie, dried apricots, then white pepper. A little oak starts to show after a few seconds, but it's not too plankish. There's some toasted oak for sure, though. Finish: unexpectedly long. Apricot jam with cinnamon and more white pepper. More oak - maybe a little too much. Comments: lost two or three points during the finish, a little too much oak coming to the surface in my opinion. SGP:451 - 84 points.

Balvenie 12 yo 'Single Barrel' (47.8%, OB, cask #12759, 2013)

We already had another cask back in October. Liked it a lot (WF 87). Colour: straw. Nose: more austere and grassier than the 16, although I also find more marshmallows. Lovely notes of greengages, yellow melon, barley water, hay jelly (ever tried that? It's surprisingly good), a touch of fresh mint... It's a very elegant nose, less easy/sexy/obvious than the 16. Mouth: perfect. Fresh fruits plus mint, aniseed and wormwood. There's a wee feeling of absinth, really! Also strawberry sweets, more apricots, mirabelles, maybe a little banana, jellybeans (or bears), tangerines... The strength is absolutely perfect. Finish: long, sweet and fruity. Drops of gewurztraminer and muscat. One drop each. Comments: wins where the 16 lost it a bit. SGP:641 - 87 points.

Check the index of all Balvenie I've tasted so far