Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year

Way better than the 12 year

Very good but almost too smooth, just needing something extra to be fantastic

The nose is full of walnuts, honey-drizzled citrus, and vanilla beam scone. Very sweet and decadent compared to the 12. On the palate, orange marmalade and lemon oil integrate with toasted nuts, giving way to a midpalate minerality that persists into the finish, providing a good length. I wouldn't say that the sherry influence is subdued here, so much as seamlessly integrated into the neat little gift basket of dried fruits and salted nuts. A marked improvement over the 12, but maybe not worth over double the price.