Tastes

A bit hot with loads of brown sugar, some vanilla custard, caramel, rye spice and baking spices on the nose and palate. Long, sweet, savory and spicy finish.

The bottle certainly is artsy. The whiskey maybe not so decadent. Nose: Restrained and subtle, but what’s there is very good. Toffee, honey, apples, licorice, red fruits, nuts and herbal notes. Palate: Again restrained, slick, rounded, spicy and semisweet with dried red fruits, honey, licorice, walnuts, savory notes, hints of chocolate and vanilla. Finish: Long, savory and spicy.

Nose: So fruity and luscious! Port, mulled wine, dark berries, malt, baking spices, hints of chocolate and vanilla. Palate: A bit youthful, yet slick and malty with port, mulled wine, vanilla, honey, baking spices, dark berries, chocolate, citrus and herbal notes. Finish: Medium length, warming, mildly spicy, malty, and semisweet. For me, the youthfulness is mitigated by the great Port cask notes.

Very similar to the 86 proof edition, just a little hotter. Brown sugar, rye, eucalyptus, a grassy note, tobacco and baking spices. I think I like the 86 proof better.

Wharehouse K, Floor 7, 65.6 ABV Nose does not reveal the proof, it’s full on caramel! There’s a hint of caraway, baking spices and buttered rye bread. Plate is way too hot. An ice cube makes it tolerable. It’s semisweet. There are some nice brown sugar, oak caramel, baking spices and vanilla notes. It also has a bitter component I dont care for. Finish is a mix of bitter and sweet, somewhat lengthy.

Spicy and sweet. It’s bold with oak, caramel, baking spices and vanilla notes. Becomes quite dry. Lengthy spicy finish.

A bit rough with brown sugar, barrel char, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and marshmallow notes. I like it better with an ice cube.

Distller Review No. 900 In typical Balvenie fashion, at least in my experience, this was disappointing at first taste. It’s now been open a couple months, about 3/4 of the bottle remaining, and it’s starting to blossom. Fresh apples, dried fruits, honey, barrel spices, barley sugar, and just a hint of peat, all combine to make this a delicious whisky.

Neat was ok, it’s rich, semisweet, spicy, but everything was too intense. After a dribble of water, it’s still intense, but more enjoyable, as dark chocolate, orange peel, raisin, cinnamon and other baking spice, leather, nuts, oak and vanilla notes shine through.