To finish off my mini-Balvenie series, I have a sample of their A Day of Dark Barley 26 year that I’ve been looking forward to and hopeful that this will be the first Balvenie to really impress me. The nose starts earthy and dark with espresso beans leading with a backdrop of lemon lime candy and ever so slight hints of dusty leather-bound books then charred brown bread and cocoa nibs followed by honey dew, orange blossom and grapefruit zest that transitions to cloves, candied ginger and polished antique furniture with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with creamy tropical fruits that quickly veers into a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to a spicy mocha and charred brown bread followed by sour lemon, orange zest and grapefruit before transitioning to cloves, ginger and a mild black pepper spice with low ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with charred brown bread, cocoa nibs, ginger, lemon lime candy and a mild black pepper spice. This is an interesting change from Balvenie’s typical floral honey forward character to an earthier chocolate profile with slightly burnt brown bread. lemon lime fruits along with mild spices that is a fun dram to try but the balance is off with a bitter spice that overpowers much of the palate and finishes mildly spicy with those charred brown bread and chocolate notes dominating with mild citrus in the background. Side by side with their 25-year Rare Marriages, they are very close, but I would likely choose the 25-year Rare Marriages as it has a strong honey sweetness with less of a bitter spice compared to the Dark Barley 26-year. At the astronomical cost of $900+ for a bottle, the price IMHO isn’t justified for what you get and for my palate there are plenty of better options available for a fraction of the cost that I’d rate higher than this.