Name: The Balvenie Double Wood 12 Year Old
Color: Gold
Nose: Spice, vanilla, honey, nutty
Taste: Sweet, spices, orange/honey
Balvenie is one of those whiskies you should know about if you like Scotch. They produce a massive volume of whisky within a large span when it comes to age, flavor, and price per bottle.
The Balvenie Double Wood 12 Year old gets its name from the two casks the whisky is matured in over 12 years. The first cask is “whisky oak” and it is listed as “traditional whisky casks” which “impart vanilla spiciness”. Let me translate, ex-American oak Bourbon barrels or just American oak barrels. Isn’t marketing wonderful? The second cask is ex-European oak sherry cask and I am guessing they are from Spain. So basically this means one regular, one sweet with respect to the barrels. Also, Balvenie’s marketing description sounds very close to Macallen Double Cask if you ask me.
This scotch is another of the many sherry-finished whisky’s on the market. No surprise as the demand for slightly sweeter whisky grows as the popularity of whisky begins to peak. You might wonder why sweeter whisky’s are becoming more popular. I have a theory with no research to back it up. Most people who I know that do not like whisky find the taste awful. My father says it is like swallowing medicine. I am reminded of the 1960’s Mary Poppins song, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down….” Today, a wee bit of sweetness seems to be part of the marketing plan of many distilleries. In summary, the distillery sweetened the scotch so more people can drink it.
I think that the bottle and sleeve of any Balvenie Scotch has a very classy look. When you need a gift to impress, but do not know what to get I recommend Balvenie. Of course, opinions and budgets vary, but when in doubt, and for a few extra dollars buy Balvenie
Price around $65+ it is a good price if you like a sweeter taste.
If you like it, drink it!
