Balvenie Single Barrel 12 Year

I haven't done one of these in a while. Not because I have not been drinking whisky but I have been exploring a lot of single cask IB which doesn't lend to reviews since each barrel is so idiosyncratic. I recently did a side-by-side tasting of this 12-year old Balvenie aged exclusively in ex-Bourbon barrels alongside the 15-year old Balvenie aged exclusively in ex-Sherry barrels. They provided a perfect contrast and example of the two styles and really accentuated what the two casks bring to the table. In the case of the 12-year ex Bourbon: This bottle is from cask# 11639 and even though a single-cask, it is not cask strength and is proofed down to a respectable 47.8% The nose was all flowers and honey, very fragrant. Maybe some fresh cut grass. The palate was sweet vanilla and honey. Very rich thanks to a higher abv and NCF. The finish was medium length but just a little pepper spice and carmel. The color was so strong yellow/amber that I thought it was colored but while I cannot be certain it appears to be natural color and it is quite deep and hypnotic. While this is definitely a cask-driven whisky the Balvenie distillate does have a characteristic that is there and takes well to the bourbon cask. A really great example of a harmonious marriage of cask and spirit. This is not a super complex whisky but very drinkable and imho a perfect example of what flavors a first fill ex-Bourbon will impart to a spirit. I am tempted to mix this with the 15-year ex-Sherry single barrel and compare to the 12-year Doublewood which is a mixture of the two cask types. Balvenie is my silent partner. One of my favorite production whiskys that I don't think about but when I want to relax with a nice pour I often go to Balvenie. It is just so tasty and easy to drink and it really gets a lot of nice flavors from the wood.

Not a fan like the Caribbean cask

Balvenie, but a bit boring. Vanilla and sweet

Cask 8258, bottle 168