December belongs to sherried whisky, with Balvenie
Can you think of two distilleries further removed from each other than Balvenie and Lagavulin? Thinking of the soft and honeyed Speysider from Dufftown, it might be hard to consider that there is shared DNA with the Islay royalty that is Lagavulin, with its powerful peat and lemon character. But, the thing is, when The Balvenie came into being, the Grant family who had already build the Glenfiddich Distillery a few years prior, was not against using some hand me down copper stills. So, The Balvenie set up with stills from Lagavulin, and also from Glen Albyn Distillery in Inverness, to be totally complete with our background story. That these stills create such a lovely, graceful single malt as The Balvenie undoubtedly is, is hard to imagine. Or is it? Lagavulin is said to have this soft, milky character, as whisky writer avant la lettre Alfred Barnard once noted. Maybe there is a shared link between the two! Anyway, we taste a very, very fine specimen of The Balvenie today that will set you up in the right mood for Christmas. As an added bonus, we throw in a Stocking Filler! This is a release of blended malt created by the Royal Mile Whiskies shop. Merry Xmas!
The Balvenie 15 years old, Single Barrel Sherry Cask, bottled at 47,8 % abv
First things first: Sherry cask # 11323 matured for 15 years before it was bottled at the standard strength of The Balvenie Single Barrel expressions. As was done with other, perhaps earlier expressions, this particular bottling does not carry any information about the year of distillation. Considering when this came out, I guess my bottling is from between vintage 2000 and 2005.
Upon Sipping: No doubt this was an active cask, as the colour is one to dream of. It also does all the talking on the nose, where it truly delivers on the Christmas Spirit of crackling fire, a good book and sweets to fill the belly with. Beautiful cherries and strawberry notes, contained very well in the perfect drinking strength for this Balvenie sherry cask. Honeyed spices in the background. Taking a sip, the lusciousness is not to be missed. The taste is silky soft, as we might expect from a well-aged Balvenie, but the more you move to the back of the tongue, a more rough wood note takes a hold of you, and makes for a gingerbread drenched finish. Yes, this is THE bottle to crack open just before Christmas! Balanced, perfect, maybe a tad too shy on the palate.
We will drop in just the tiniest amount of water, just to spur it on. It is as if you walked outside into the forest now, with hints of mint and pine floating amongst the sherried influences. After a while, more towards big, juicy prunes and plums. On the palate, coffee beans and chocolate moved up to the front, and these dark plums make for just the right balance.
Still, there is a sweet tingle lingering there that whispers ‘Balvenie is also still here, not just the cask’. In short, this is a single malt that was crafted to perfection. Almost unbelievable that this is one single cask. If I had to nitpick, I would have preferred a punchier finish, but indeed… nitpicking.
Word to the Wise: It was the right decision to taste this Balvenie single sherry cask in December, because that is where it belongs. Luscious Christmas Cake vibes here, mostly created by the no doubt high quality sherry cask, but also balanced by the welcoming Balvenie whisky.
Score: 88 points.
Stocking Filler blended malt 11 years old, bottled at 46 % abv by Royal Mile Whiskies
First things first: Matured in the finest sherry wood. That is all we need to know, right?
Upon Sipping: Good idea of me to taste this after the Balvenie above. This is a much more spicy and raw animal. Since the stocking hangs right next to the fireplace, some burned notes are not to be denied. Classic sulphury notes that you would find in malts like Dailuaine and Linkwood. I would not be surprised if one or either of them ended up in this vatting. This was crafted with Christmas in mind. This was last year’s offering, by the way, but RMW released new expressions. Thinking of clove and mulled wine, oranges and scented candles. The taste is a tad bitter, but the palate is coated with delightful herbal and heathery notes. Lots of backbone, soot, coal ashes. Have you ever lit up the barbecue and accidentally licked your fingers? This is it. There is also a strong fruit layer underneath, and nuts, all put together in one big cake, soaked in rum.
Word to the Wise: A very pleasant dram for the holiday season, and the rest of the winter. Perfect composition, and very much satisfying all the expectations one might get from the name. Truly one to put in the stocking for your legally allowed drinking family and friends.
Score: 87 points.