Balvenie The Sweet Toast of American Oak 12 Year

Nose: Sweet vanilla, brown sugar, baking spices, apples, pears, apricots and mild oak. Palate: Charred oak spice, sweet vanilla, cinnamon, cloves. Salted caramel apples, with grilled pears, and peaches. Leathery, sweet tobacco finish with baking spices and hints of cardamom.

Nose is a bit tuned down, I cannot pick up anything but milky fudge and vanilla bean. Palate does feel a bit higher alcohol than it is, quite bitey, but in a kinda pleasant way. It might be actually the oak effect. Again palate has more of fudge and sweet spices with honey and I think a bit of dememrara sugar. In blind I’d definitely say it is closer to 50% abv.

Warming, and just sweet enough