The Balvenie Pedro Ximenez Cask 18-year-old is matured in American oak and finished for an undisclosed amount of time in PX sherry butts. It is bottled at 48.7% ABV. It is a travel retail exclusive that I bought crossing into Canada from Buffalo last year for $280 CAN (about $200 US). This was a nice surprise. A modern sherried whisky that is not a poor life decision is uncommon; and a Balvenie that is not $500 or more that I enjoy is rare. I still prefer a Balvenie TUN at $500 than this bottle, but the real novelty is that this is a travel retail exclusive that is not garbage and is better than the core range. This is a far more engaging whisky than the 17-year-old Double Wood or the 21-year-old Port Wood, but it is still just as approachable for the non-enthusiast. Like most Balvenies, anyone who can tolerate drinking a whisky neat will be able to tolerate drinking this whisky neat. The PX finish does its job on the nose; there is so much raisin goodness! Raisins, caramel fudge, orange zest, and cacao powder. This smells like it belongs on a sundae. Things fall apart on the palate as the brilliant sherry character on the nose struggles to remain prominent. You still get pleasant creamy, honeyed, sweet and spicy 18-year-old Balvenie, but you can tell that this could’ve used more exposure to the PX butt. This whisky recovers somewhat on the finish, as the raisins and oranges come back, and the lingering aftertaste is quite satisfying, worthy of a few post-swallow lipsmacks.