Tasting Three Balvenies (The Balvenie sample pack)

Five years ago i would not touch a single whisky. I did not like whiskies, and my memory of whiskies back than were of low quality blends, which did not attract me. When i was offered a dram I would say, no. Then, one Evening I visited my friend Kfir, and he offered me dram. I asked him if he had anything good, and although his collection back then was smaller than today, he had a few Glenmorangies and a Balvenie Double wood. I chose that one based on his recommendation. The rest is history. I completely fell in love with that dram that evening, and kept on wanting more of it. The next week, i got myself a bottle and have not stopped drinking blogging and acquiring more and more bottles since then.

I’ve tasted 100’s of whiskies since then, but will always have a warm spot for that first dram.

As weird as it is, I have have countless bottles of the DW, but never really sat down to write my own tasting notes. In addition to tasting the DW again, and taking notes, I also tried the Signature 12, and Single Barrel 15, as to be able to compare, having tasted them in the past, but not in the same tasting session. So, here goes. Double wood, mon amour.

Balvenie double wood 12 yo, 40% ABV , £30

Nose :  lovely nose. Caramel, butterscotch , vanilla, stewed apples  With cinnamon sticks in the middle. A little citrusy edge to it as if lemon drops were applied. The sultanas and dried fruit are also there and very noticeable.
Palate: pretty strong sherry goodness, wood (double?) , dried fruit , malty with golden syrup. Dried banana too. Apples are In the background and the sherry is king.
Finish: dark chocolate , wood, cocoa and plums

Scrore: 85/100

Balvenie Signature 12 yo , 40% , £33

Nose: malt and spice , cinnamon, wood and thick honey syrup. Sexy.
Hints of “silane ” and dates in addition to nuts and cocoa powder.
Palate : sweet stuff. Great sherry style shining through. Tannins are high.   Golden syrup. Sultanas, chocolate cake , raisins some butter too.
Finish : butter, vanilla, toast.

Score: 85/100

Balvenie 15 single barrel , 47.8% ABV , £47

Nose: rich malty backbone with more wood than the 12 year olds. Wood polish , vanilla , orange peel.
Palate: thick malty , honeycomb body. Oily, the wood is quite big here. Bitter nuts, oak resin.
Finish : bitter sweet , malty and spicy  wee liqourice. medium long.

Score: 84/100

Sincere thanks to Michel from W.Grant & Sons, for the official samples.