Balvenie

Balvenie 17 Year Peated Cask

One of the larger producers of single malts in the Speyside region, the Balvenie is no stranger to creating new expressions, be they of limited offering or part of their main range. A newer release has been two whiskies aged 17 years, a Doublewood and this Peated Cask variety. The spirit is aged in ex-American bourbon barrels, but then some of it is finished in peated barrels and half is aged in new American oak. The two elements are finally brought together for balance. This allows a peat injection to the relatively lighter malt without overwhelming it.

By Adam | March 29, 2016 | Speyside | 1 Comment |

The Balvenie distillery is located in Dufftown near the old Balvenie Castle. In operation since 1886 by William Grant and has continued in family ownership since then. Beyond having a very wide range of offerings (14 standard, plus more in specialized markets), Balvenie currently has one of the busiest and slickest websites we’ve found yet. In other words, there is a lot going on at this place. Little wonder, too, as the distillery has collected awards and medals for many of its offerings since the turn of the millennium. The Doublewood has been an early club favorite and is often used when we’re introducing people to whisky.

By Adam | January 25, 2016 | Speyside | No Comments |

One of the things Balvenie likes to do in its standard offerings besides various age statements is experiment with different cask finishes. Unlike other whiskys, who often use a cask finish for their NAS releases, Balvenie displays both age and finish. Unlike some distillers, who buy their ex-wine or spirit barrels from around the world, Balvenie takes American oak casks and chooses the West Indian rums (i.e. Cuba, but renamed to get past picky U.S. import law) that fill them. The master distiller chooses when these barrels are ready to empty and be filled with the 14 year old whisky for finishing. How does the smoothness of the base whisky mix with the rum casks?

By Adam | July 9, 2015 | Speyside | No Comments |

Balvenie

Balvenie 17 Year Peated Cask

Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood

Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask