* Scotland, September 2017. Whisky #10. also * Sydney Balvenie whisky tasting night, 26 April 2018. Whisky #3. Nose: Sherry, caramel, vanilla, dark fruits, dusky orange, old rose, incense and apricot jam. Palate: A soft arrival with warm spices swimming in creamed honey. The development brings forth dried fruits (raisins, figs, medjool dates), sweet nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias), crème brûlée, soft oak, chocolate, and sweet milk coffee. Finish: Medium/long. Sherry, chocolate and creamy toffee. I first tasted this at a hotel bar in Scotland last year and whilst it was enjoyable it did not make a huge impression. However having re-tasted it tonight I was very pleasantly surprised. Maybe tasting it comparatively in a flight of 6 whiskies made the difference or maybe the dram at the bar was from an old opened bottle - who knows. This is very obviously the older and more poised brother of the 12 year double-wood. It is more complete and has a layered complexity that is not present in the 12 year old, but it is still cut from exactly the same cloth. The palate is similar but both spicier and smoother - very mellow and mature. It's altogether a more sophisticated dram and it is worth paying almost twice the price. Adding a little water brings out the sweet notes and puts emphasis on the vanilla aspect. A fine and satisfying representative Speysider of the sherried persuasion. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)