Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 Year

immense warmth, hint of black licorice and, I'm reliably informed, English toffee with a dry finish

Great scotch made better by aging in rum barrels. Nose is sugar cane and sweetness. Palate taste the brightness of good clean scotch with a candied dried plum and just a hint of black licorice. Finish the rum shows for a short while. Score-3.5 Scale 1-choke it down or pour it down the sink 2-drinkable but would not buy again 3-solid would buy again 4-seek it want it need it in my cabinet 5- life changing might name a kid after it

Often when a whisky is finished in rum casks, it overpowers the whisky and becomes an odd mongrel that doesn’t complement either spirits. This whisky is well balanced whisky. It has a lovely creamy vanilla taste upfront, but there’s plenty of fruit with apples and oranges and topped off with subtle molasses. The finish is long, with a lot of citrus and vanilla. Overall, a lovely well-rounded, sweet vanilla dram.

Vanilla, honey, and a lemony sour note from the oak on the nose. The palate is vanilla and a slight fruitiness, then cane sugar. The combination of rum and oak produces a surprising cinnamon and tobacco note (if you can find it in the spice notes that are unique to this bottle). Follow that note and the oak makes itself known in the finish. The cinnamon with the oak reminds me of a bourbon mid-palate-to-finish, albeit with an infusion of rum sweetness. Different and interesting to drink, but not a personal fave. It may fare better with a cigar. I don't know why I didn't like this whisky, despite the glowing reviews. I was extremely disappointed in my palate for missing whatever that was good. I just couldn't lock on the Balvenie flavor profile. While rum was the currency that introduced the world to the English concept of "proof", it hasn't exactly done wonders here. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."

Nose - grapes, vanilla, sugar Palate - not getting much of the rum influence, I prefer their 12 year Finish - rum finally shows up in the finish with a touch of molasses and burnt sugar