Speyside

Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood

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 |

The name of this whisky is Gaelic for “natural.” It claims to “stay true to the style of whisky that was enjoyed in the 19th century. [1]” Whether that’s true or not, it’s pretty damn satisfying in the 21st century. This review features a version sold at a slightly higher cask strength than the standard, which is at 48% abv). Glenlivet has subsequently rolled out the Nàdurra as a semi-regular offering much in the same vein as Laphoraig’s Cairdeas series, where every release is unique unto itself. This Nàdurra is comprised of 16 year scotch and aged in New American oak barrels.

By Adam | April 18, 2014 | Speyside | No Comments |

Speyside

Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood

Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask

The Glenlivet 16 Year “Nàdurra”