Balvenie 25 Year Rare Marriages

The classic long aged balvenie profile with notes of honey, citrus, ginger, and sherry influence. Nose: Honey, Vanilla, Grapefruit, Ginger, Honey, Blackberries, Mangoes, Cinnamon, Figs, Almonds, Brown Sugar, Toffee, Green Apples, Apricots, Lemon Peels Palate: Raisins, Dates, Blackberries, Plums, Grapefruit, Dark Chocolate, Makuna Honey, Toasted Oak, Leather Finish: Honey, Coconuts, Grapefruit, Raisins, Walnuts, Seville Oranges, Plums

This was matured in European and American oak casks for 25 years before being married together and bottled at 48% ABV. The nose starts with a rich floral honey sweetness with light lemon and lime zests in the background along with faint dusty leather-bound books then vanilla creme brûlée and cocoa powder dusted prunes followed by poached pears, orange blossom and grapefruit zest that transitions to ginger, cloves and mildly bitter tea with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting floral with a rich honey sweetness with lemon and lime candy that veers into a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to vanilla gelato and cocoa powder dusted prunes followed by anise spiced baked pears, candied orange peel and grapefruit zest that transitions to ginger, cloves and a mild bitter black tea with low ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with lemon lime candy, powdered ginger, a mild black pepper spice and dusty leather-bound books. Overall, this is a delicious whisky with rich floral honey, light citrus, cocoa powdered prunes and mild spices that brings in some light old oak notes of dusty leather-bound books, but the balance is off with the palate veering towards a moderate peppery spice that overpowers those honeyed sweets before finally fading to allow those sweet fruits in with a mild sourness and ever so slightly over-oaked bitterness that finishes mildly spicy with citrus and old leather. At a price of around $600+, this is an easy pass for me as there are plenty of other options priced for far less that I find better suited for my tastes, but if you're a fan of the traditional Balvenie profile, this would likely be a real treat, but I'd advise trying a sample before committing to a full bottle.