October 2009 - Monthly Feature - The Balvenie Doublewood 12yr, Rum Cask 17yr, Sherry Oak 17yr, Signature 12yr, Portwood 21yr & Madeira Cask 17yr

Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky

THE BALVENIE
DoubleWood, Aged 12 Years
The Balvenie DoubleWood is a 12 year old single malt which gains its distinctive character from being matured in two woods. Over its period of maturation it is transferred from a traditional oak whisky cask to a first fill European oak sherry cask. Each stage lends different qualities to the resulting single malt ~ the traditional casks soften and add character, whilst the sherry wood brings depth and fullness of flavour.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE - Sweet fruit and Oloroso sherry notes, layered with honey and vanilla.
TASTE - Smooth and mellow with beautifully combined flavours ~ nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness and a delicately proportioned layer of sherry.
FINISH - Long and warming.

THE BALVENIE
Signature, Aged 12 Years
The Balvenie Signature Aged 12 Years is an exposition of the traditional art of The Balvenie Malt Master, David Stewart ~ created to celebrate his 45 years in the whisky industry. He skilfully marries aged Balvenie from the finest first fill bourbon, refill and sherry casks to create this signature malt, characterised by honey, spice and subtle oak. A limited release, each batch of The Balvenie Signature is a unique marriage of these three cask types and each bottle carries its own batch number.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE - Rich and complex with honey, citrus fruits and vanilla oak notes.
TASTE - Rich and honeyed with a hint of sherry fruitiness. A spiciness of cinnamon and nutmeg and a subtle oakiness develop with time.
FINISH - Warm and lingering.

THE BALVENIE
Single Barrel, Aged 15 Years
The Balvenie Single Barrel is a 15 year old single malt which is drawn from a single traditional oak whisky cask of a single distillation. Whilst each cask is subtly different, The Balvenie Malt Master selects only those casks which have the essential characteristics of The Balvenie Single Barrel, particularly honey, vanilla and oaky notes. Each bottling forms a limited edition of no more than 350 hand-numbered bottles - so each bottle is unique and unrepeatable.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE - Fragrant aroma of vanilla, honeyed sweetness, hints of heather and dry oaky notes.
TASTE - Rich and complex, suggestive of years of careful ageing, it has a honeyed maltiness with vanilla, oak flavours and delicate spice notes.
FINISH - Long and complex with a touch of liquorice.

THE BALVENIE
PortWood, Aged 21 Years
To create The Balvenie PortWood Aged 21 Years, a marriage of rare Balvenie is transferred to port casks, or pipes, which have held fine port wines. Here it is sampled regularly by The Balvenie Malt Master to ensure that just the right amount of character is imparted by the port casks, enhancing and developing the single malt whilst preserving its original characteristics.
In duty free The Balvenie PortWood Aged 21 Years is non chill-filtered and bottled at a higher strength of
47.6% abv.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE - A perfume of fruity and ripe raisin notes, backed by a nutty dryness.
TASTE - Refined with remarkable character, it is creamy and silky with fruit, honey and spice notes.
FINISH - Long, gentle, nutty.

THE BALVENIE
Thirty, Aged 30 Years
The Balvenie Thirty is a rare and especially fine single malt for which David Stewart selects only exceptional casks that were laid down over thirty years ago. By marrying The Balvenie slowly aged in traditional oak whisky casks with that aged in European oak sherry casks, David creates a rich, mellow Scotch whisky with unusual depth and complexity. ‘Thirty’ is bottled at 47.3% abv to capture all the signature characteristics of The Balvenie.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE- Silky smooth and honeyed on the nose with mellow oaky tones and hints of candied orange peel.
TASTE - Great depth with rich dark chocolate, hints of plum, marzipan and caramelised pear.
FINISH- Exceptionally smooth and warming with gentle spice and lingering sweetness.

THE BALVENIE
Madeira Cask, Aged 17 Years
The Balvenie Madeira Cask was aged exclusively in traditional American oak whisky casks before being transferred to barrels previously used in the production of fortified Madeira wine.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE - Rich, deep and complex. Spicy, earthy oak notes with subtle hints of vanilla and honey. Soft fruit aromas, a slow baked apple infused with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
TASTE - The deep, luxurious aromas translate into an equally rewarding flavour. Initial sweet vanilla oak notes gradually develop into rich spices and dried fruits (apricots, figs, dates).
FINISH - Exceptionally long and an intriguing balance of sweetness and dry oakiness.

THE BALVENIE
Vintage Cask, 1978
The Balvenie Vintage Cask 1978 was selected in 2009 by David Stewart and three senior members of the British Bee Keepers Association. Two exceptional casks were identified as best exemplifying The Balvenie’s signature honeyed complexity.
Cask 6248 is beautifully rich and vibrant on the nose with intense vanilla oakiness and fruity zesty marmalade. The flavours are robust with a luxurious silkiness. On the addition of water, vanilla oak notes are released alongside citrus fruit, creamy butterscotch, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Cask 2705 is rewardingly complex to nose with intense vanilla oakiness and citrus orange. There are hints of soft leather, beeswax and sweet heather honey. To taste, there is full bodied flavour with a rich mouth coating texture. Vanilla and oak deliver barley sugar sweetness. Layers of citrus fruit, fresh cut herbs, polished leather and mixed spice all slowly reveal themselves.