Whiskey_Hound
Balvenie The Sweet Toast of American Oak 12 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
June 2, 2021 (edited June 9, 2021)
The Week of the Peat 14 Year was solid. Now I'm moving on to the 12 Year installment. The Sweet Toast of American Oak, a bourbon and virgin oak-aged whisky. Spoiler alert: I will not be completing the trio; that 26 year-old Dark Barley Balvenie will likely be all gone by the time I'm ready to buy it. And I'm okay with that. On to the review.
Nose: Apple, pear, apricot, and orange. Toffee, vanilla, malt, and honey. Almond and walnut. Caramel, shortbread cookie, butterscotch. Cinnamon and a whopping oak note. Lavender and other floral scents. Nice start.
Palate: Apple, orange, pear, apricot, golden raisin, and peach. Caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, and malt. Almond and walnut. Milk chocolate and shortbread cookie. Plenty more oak.
Finish: Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Mocha. Toasted almond. Caramel and vanilla. Cinnamon, baking spices, and oak. A bit boozy, but still good. Moderate length.
4.25. Factoring in VFM, it's the same score I awarded the Week of the Peat. It's very good. Though $65 is a bit expensive for a 12-year old, I think it was worth the purchase.
Oak is the name of the game. This is a very appropriately-named whisky. I think that if you like the 12-year Single Barrel, you will also like this one. Not sure if this was a one-off; my bottle says Story No. 1. If there are more batches to come, I'd give them a go. Otherwise, this is worth a buy while it's still around.
65.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Whiskey_Hound I have a bottle of the 2004 and a sample of the 2003. It would be nice to have the 2005 and make it a little three-part comparison review series.
@ctbeck11 Agreed. They're all solid but a bit overpriced. The Peat Weeks have been great, especially 03 and 02 (in that order.) 04 dipped a bit but I'd still give it a try. According to past trends, the 05 should already be out--hopefully they haven't discontinued it
@Whiskey_Hound I haven’t heard any news on that one. Generally, I think Balvenie products are priced higher than they deserve, but I haven’t had a bad one yet. I’d consider buying the next peated release.
@jonwilkinson7309 You know, it's funny that you say that, because I was never totally convinced on this one until I got to try it on a summer night. @ctbeck11 Completely agreed. Outside of this and the Peat Week, I'll pass on the rest. Speaking of which, any word on the 2005 Peat Week, I haven't heard a thing
Great review! The Balvenie Stories line is a series of whiskies, of which this release is one. I have this and the Week of Peat. The others are too rich for my blood. @jonwilkinson7309 I’d be happy to save a sample of this for you, if you don’t decide to buy the bottle.
You've convinced me to give this one a shot. Some of the reviews I read previously were middling, but the profile seems particularly alluring on a warm summer evening.