« Lantern | Main | Calvados and Memory »
July 20, 2008
The Balvenie
As anyone who really knows me will tell you, I have long-running love affairs with single-malt and brandy. To me there is basically nothing more heavenly than pourin' a one or two finger glass of Calvados, Armagnac or some great Scotch, sittin' back in the old chair, firing up some classical music and reading a good book (if the book or symphony is long, make that three fingers and splash some). (I'm a straight-up man, but respect the views of `on the rocks' types, even if they are clearly nuts.) I think I prefer calvados, with its fundamentally more autumnal notes, in the colder months, and the other two any time of year.
Recently I've begun drinking a great line of Scotchs, and had to get out a review. They are the various incarnations of The Balvenie, a great Speyside producer (boy, there's something magical about the Speyside stuff, no?). Here is what I have tasted so far from their line:
The Doublewood 12 Year Old: Tried it last night after some grilled New York Strips at Chris and Marie's. As their site explains:
"The Balvenie Doublewood Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a 12 year old single malt which gains its distinctive character from being matured in two woods. During its period of maturation The Balvenie Doublewood is transferred from a traditional oak whisky cask to a first fill Spanish oak sherry cask. Each stage lends different qualities to the resulting single malt - the traditional casks, having previously held bourbon, soften and add character, whilst the sherry wood brings depth and fullness of flavour.
Nose ~ Sweet fruit and oloroso sherry notes, layered with honey and vanilla.
Taste ~ A smooth and mellow single malt of beautifully combined flavours - nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness and a delicately proportioned layer of sherry - with a long and warming finish."
I'd agree with all of this, but would like to add a sort of haunting, seductive background smokiness (made all the more compelling and complex by something hard to capture-was it a faint note of cedar?) to the bottle we tried. A superb whiskey that drinks as well as or better than far more expensive stuff that I've tried.
Single Barrel 15 Year Old: Once again, their notes first:
"The Balvenie Single Barrel Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a 15 year old single malt which is drawn from a single bourbon cask of a single distillation.
Each cask forms a limited edition of hand-numbered bottles - there will be a maximum of 350 bottles from any one cask - so each bottle is unique and unrepeatable. Each cask is subtly different, however, The Balvenie Malt Master selects for bottling only those casks that have the essential characteristics of The Balvenie Single Barrel - particularly honey, vanilla and oaky notes.
Nose ~ Fragrant aroma of vanilla honeyed sweetness, hints of heather and dry oaky notes.
Taste ~ Rich and complex, suggestive of years of careful ageing, it has a honeyed maltiness with vanilla oak flavours, and hints of spice. It has a long and complex finish with a touch of liquorice."
Once again, no argument, but I would like to draw attention to the 15 year old's length: both myself and Dan Williams (with whom I cracked open the first bottle) could taste it an hour or more after we had finished. Lovely.
Tonight I will try their 21 Year Old Portwood to celebrate Sharon's visit, with reports to follow.
Posted by dag at July 20, 2008 2:17 PM