Balvenie The Sweet Toast of American Oak 12 Year

Vanilla. Lots of it. On the nose and in the taste. Honey and some toffee on the taste. Very little spice on the finish. Easy drinking.

That great Balvenie taste with a nice oaky finish.

Oak, fairly simple barley flavor. Very well done for what it is.

Very oak forward that includes layers of honeyed lemon, dried fruits, and freshly baked bread. A slight, spicy burn on the palate is enhanced with a few drops of water so I much prefer this dram neat. Not as good as the 12 year Doublewood, but an interesting dram nonetheless.

This year for the holidays I’m going to try a brand new whiskey every day in December. #lifegoals Dec. 21 When I think about 21, I think about Portwood. When I think about Portwood that’s some heavenly juice. When I think about Heaven, I think about Angel’s (Envy). When I think about Angel’s (Envy), I think about port again. Oops. Unfortunately, I’ve already tried Portwood, so today I’ll have to settle for this younger brother. It’s wholly new to my pallet, and as a huge fan of Balvenie in general, I’m excited. Begin political rant. My whiskey overlord warned me that the next time I buy this bottle, it may cost $20 more. I looked it up, and now I understand. Scotch fans in America are on track to be political casualties in a tariff war with EU. There’s a 25% cost increase on single malt scotches, and it has already been in the books for months. It’s not “if” but “when” it affects each of us locally in the greater distribution cycle. In my area, it’ll filter in with the next reorder. To put this into perspective, it’d be like one day, you’re at your honey hole and you pick up this $70 scotch and take it to the counter. You do a double take when it rings up at $93 after sales tax. So you ask: “Why is the US government making me pay an extra 25% sales tax on my specific purchase? The guy buying Wild Turkey doesn’t have to pay an extra 25% sales tax. This seems arbitrary and mean.” So in that scenario you’re reasonably pissed off, and you should be equally pissed off by this tariff because it’s essentially the same thing. The price jumps up before you get to the register, so it feels different. But the reality is you’re paying 25% more money in a reimbursement chain that ends up in the pocket of the US government every time you want to buy a scotch (assuming the scotch in question continues to distribute to America). It’s a targeted tax, and the taxpayer is the American who likes scotches. Because: politics. Something is wrong with the world when politics alone can make your booze of choice harder to get. Thank original American 8 pound 6 ounce sweet baby Jesus that bourbon can’t be subject to tariffs. For me, anyway. This concludes my political rant. The nose is Balvenie standard. Raisin is the main scent here. There’s a bit of peat if I really hunt. Always a pleasure. Body differs though. I certainly get the raisin from the sherry influence and some peanuts, but there’s some new stuff here. There’s cane sugar, oak, and a hint of citrus. Finish carries out with the citrus and raisin. There’s a hint of peat, far more than I recall from Doublewood. It’s quite tropical overall. This is very enjoyable. It sort of hits a sweet spot for me. I’m a bourbon soul who sometimes wants a scotch, and I truly get the first fill American oak influence. Yet, I could see this facing the same problem as Redbreast Lustau. Who would ever reach for this specific bottle, and why? I’m glad I have it, but it won’t beat my bourbons when that’s the craving. It might itch the Balvenie craving for me, but I doubt it would scratch the surface for a true scotch fan. If you too are a bourbon soul who occasionally likes a scotch, this is a must try for you. ‘Tis the season. I don’t know if I actually have 10 more new whiskeys lined up, so if you’re reading this and there’s something readily available out there you’d like me to enjoy/suffer through this holiday season, leave it in the comments.