Oh yes! Stopped into the Virginia ABC store today and while trolling through the scotch aisle I came upon the new release from Balvenie. Balvenie experienced great success with their 17 year line that has been released over the past few years and now they have complimented it by taking their usual Doublewood whisky and brought it to a mature level of 17 years. The entry or as i like to call it “gateway” to The Balvenie line of scotch is the Doublewood and it is a fabulous scotch. The regular Doublewood can be had for around $50 U.S. and the 17 year comes in north of $120. I wasn’t planning on finding this and was very happy and thought this would make a great dram to review since I have basically been on hiatus for several months now.
It is fall in the D.C. area and the beautiful colors of fall are starting to emerge. This 17 year’s color is right on time! It’s appearance is a beautiful amber that matches the hardwoods in my backyard. It looks like it has some beautiful coloring in it that can only come from time in the right casks.
The nose is candy like and leads me to think this is going to be a very warm and smooth whisky. The ABV count is 43% and there is no alcohol kick as I stick my nose firmly into the Glencairn glass.
It tastes like butter. I love butter! And it tastes just like it smells. It is warm, not hot. It coats the tongue evenly and and is very well rounded. It does not burn. You can leave it in your mouth for many seconds and just enjoy the dram.
The finish is polite, and it is simply a home run! It is a very easy drinking scotch, almost too easy. Some may be wishing for a higher ABV but this is simply a civilized scotch that would feel at home in a ballroom or your living room. What you get is a much deeper and mature experience that you would not get from the regular Doublewood offering. Be warned, this drinks really easy. I did not add any water to this, as I do not to any Balvenie product.
It is a bit pricy, especially in these times so if you can find a friend who enjoys whisky team up and go find this offering.
Thanks again Balvenie!
Cheers!
October 18, 2012 at 10:57 pm
I saw it for $150 up here. $120 seems like a bargain. Hopefully, they’ll have it at the Philly Extravaganza in a couple weeks. Sounds delicious. The question is… Is it 2.5X better than the 12 YO DoubleWood?
October 18, 2012 at 11:11 pm
I think it’s a case where you have to be appreciative of the depth the extra maturation give you. If that isn’t something that concerns you it probably would not seem to be worth the extra.
October 18, 2012 at 11:35 pm
I’m definitely curious to try it since I too am a fan of the 12 year old DoubleWood (I’m not that hung up on price when we’re talking about something special. We’re grown ups. No one is forcing us to buy expensive whisky). Rumor has it that there’s a sample coming my way. And I’m pretty sure one of us has a standard issue DoubleWood around, so perhaps a side by side is warranted.
October 19, 2012 at 7:23 am
Sounds good!
March 10, 2013 at 8:05 pm
I have fun with, cause I found just what I was
having a look for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
March 10, 2013 at 8:23 pm
You are welcome!
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April 10, 2013 at 7:08 am
Thanks for reading!