Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 40%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: Yes
Added coloring: Yes
Owner: William Grant & Sons
Average price: € 120.00
Official website: www.thebalvenie.com
Born at the beginning of 2013 for the Travel Retail market, the Triple Cask series then transitioned to the general market with its three bottlings of increasing age: 12 years, 16 years, and 25 years.
As the name suggests, the maturation for all involves the blending of first fill ex-sherry oloroso and ex-bourbon casks, along with refill ex-bourbon casks, bottled (unfortunately) at a minimum ABV.
The series was abandoned in 2021, with this 16 years replaced in the Cask Finishes series as French Oak, coming soon on these pages.
Tasting Notes
Fruity on the nose as expected, with peach leading the cohort of apricot, plum, pineapple, ripe pear, and banana, marked by a musty and slightly metallic vein. Sweet notes of vanilla, sponge cake, acacia honey, sugared almonds, and coffee powder. A veil of cinnamon and nutmeg, along with hints of wood in length. Not particularly complex but deep, with fresh pleasantness also thanks to herbaceous background notes.
Very spicy entry, with black pepper, chili, and ginger that tease the palate into anticipating a faint consistency of aromas ranging from citrus to stone fruit, with a strong acidic and tannic component that quickly dries the tongue. Dominated by nuts (almonds and hazelnuts) along with sugar paste, licorice, and cocoa, with quite significant woody influences in length. Primarily expressed on the bitter and spicy side, leaving little room for the sweeter notes that the nose suggested.
Finale quite short, dry, with nuts, licorice, spices (black pepper, ginger), cocoa, and wood.
Review: The wood is very prominent on the palate, driven by the alcohol content that hinders the emergence of other aromas, left behind in favor of an exuberant acidity. Edgy, which one wouldn’t want to say of a Balvenie.
Vote: 81/100