Balvenie Single Barrel 12 Year

Enjoyed neat. Vanilla nose. Sweet and a bit salty. Very pleasant. Reminded me a lot of Johnnie Green Label. So pulled it down and did a side by side. Taste very similar with JW having a bit smokier profile but not much different.

I've been going through my collection looking for bottles that I've yet to review--all in the name of empiricism! Clear straw color; no apparent coloring added. Somewhat reticent nose reveals apple, hay, honey, and surprisingly less vanilla than I've experienced with other whiskies--but perhaps consistent with what the labeling refers to as the "subtle vanilla oak" which is the consistent goal for each hand-selected barrel. In contradistinction to the nose, which is something of a wallflower, the palate is the life of the party, with an almost oily mouthfeel; new oak consistent with the first-fill bourbon cask maturation; noticeable ethanol consistent with the above-average ABV; and a focused finish with both pepper and oakiness. With a fruity nose and assertive palate, this makes for an interesting and intellectually enjoyable drink which, like a puzzle, takes a bit of time to put together. There are more complex (and expensive) scotches around, but this is one that I'll keep onhand. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. Each bottle is "no more than 300 drawn from a single cask" which is hand-selected for consistent taste. Cask # 19029; bottle # 37. Non-chill filtered; 47.8% ABV. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat from a Glencairn glass.

Nose: subtle fruity and floral notes Palette: caramel, spicy, oak, maple Finish: woody, spicy, tannic

Claro, amarelo-dourado. Bastante abaunilhado, dulçor bem presente, mas não agressivo. Clássico, elegante.