Richard-ModernDrinking
Balvenie A Day of Dark Barley 26 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
April 15, 2020 (edited June 8, 2022)
A very different flavor profile for a Balvenie, leaning towards cocoa powder and coffee grounds rather than its trademark honey. Finishes strong and long with more cocoa powder and black Russian bread. These are all tastes I gravitate towards - porters and stouts are my favorite beers - and Balvenie is to be commended for experimenting with barley variations. But I found the nose disappointingly shy.
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Age certainly doesn't always mean "better" but I happen to like the flavors that age create. Goes and point for me Laphroaig could stop making anything under 18 and I'm not sure anything would be lost at all. They just don't get going until that age, even if I am a fan of the lore and the fino. Here I'd expect a HELL of a quality dram due to 26 years and all the great flavors mentioned. To be honest...a part of me still wants a bottle, all be it I'm not paying their prices. Their 25 is beyond my price point these days and frankly not their best.
@PBMichiganWolverine @dhsilv2 Older whisky will always cost more, of course, but isn't always better. Of the Balvenies I tasted as part of this flight, the best was a 33 year old Vintage Cask. But the second best was only 10 years old. And I just did a flight of older Laphroaigs and didn't think any of them were better than the best of the 18 and under bottles.
At this price, I’d expect more. But it’s a 26 yr, and a Balvenie —-price will be high.
A disapointing score given what I assume is ultra premium pricing, but all those flavors sound amazing.
@worldwhiskies95 Mine was the vintage cask, followed by the Founders 10.
This was my favorite of the tasting.