Tastes

Enjoyable. Had a darkish one and the sherry really comes through. Update: finally got a bottle for a little over $100. Excited about that. After spending a little more time with it I was tempted to lower the rating a bit. It still has a lovely mouthfeel, like any Balvenie. Thick, lingering on the palate. But it’s almost too sherry forward and doesn’t have a lot else working underneath. The reason I kept the rating is that it does what it does very well despite it making me mildly bored. If you’re looking for a nice sherried speyside with a decent proof, an age statement and a decent underlying malt what’s the competition really? This is thicker than Aberlour and glendronach. And much better and cheaper than macallan. I just wish the sherry would back off a tad for sake of balance. Balvenie spirit has enough going on, no need to kill it off.

Luscious. Fruity. Complex. Savored this for a few minutes in my mouth. Probably deserves a perfect rating but since I haven’t tasted many 21yr + scotches I’ll reserve my 5 stars until I have a proper basis for comparison.

Heavy peat but gives way to sweetness from the sherry casks. Meaty - bbq and Christmas cake. Very complex. Ages well.

Tastes like bourbon - decent bourbon, sure, but if I wanted that I could pay much less. Too sweet for a scotch. Too expensive. I actually prefer the double cask gold which is cheaper. Update: ages well in the bottle. Bumped up to the gold.

Not a lot of complexity. Peaty. Oily. Pear. Smooth mouth feel. Not overwhelming. A good dram at this price point tho.

Drop of water and let it sit in the glass for a few minutes. Apples and pear on the front of the tongue. Light tannins on the rear. An interesting dram.

Buttery. Smooth. A little sherry mellows it out. A good dram.

One of a kind taste that reflects the 3 woods used for aging. Has a sandalwood and blackberry taste on the front of the tongue. Sherry takes over the back end. I’d held off on buying this because $70 for a no age statement lowlands single malt seemed overpriced. It’s worth a try.