Balvenie whisky

1) A 50yo Balvenie from 1952 was released in 2002; after half a century cask #191 still produced 83 bottles.
The recommended retail price of these bottles was a whopping 6,000 GBP. At the time, it was one of the highest price tags ever to be stuck on a bottle of single malt whisky. These days, that price almost seems modest...

2) Balvenie still has its own floor maltings, but they can only produce a fraction (circa 15%) of all the malted barley that Balvenie needs to keep production going. The distillery also has its own cooperage.

3) The first official bottling of Balvenie was released in 1973.

4) Originally, the Balvenie distillery was to be named the 'Glen Gordon' distillery.

5) Balvenie is one of almost two dozen malt whisky distilleries that were founded during the 'whisky boom' of the
late 19th century and which have managed to survive until this day. The other survivors include Aberfeldy, Ardmore, Aultmore, Benriach, Benromach, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Craigellachie, Dalwhinnie, Dufftown, Glendullan, Glenfiddich, Glen Moray, Glenrothes, Glentauchers, Knockandu, Knockdhu, Longmorn, Tamdhu and Tomatin.
 

Balvenie 12yo 'DoubleWood' (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2008)
Nose: Whoah! Big, round and fruity. Not a lot of 'definition', but very pleasant indeed. Whiff of shoe polish?
Taste: Solid and sweet with loads of floral notes in the centre. Oldfashioned fruit sweets.
Some passion fruits. Touch of smoke in the finish.
Score: 86 points - which may have been just a smidgen generous...

Balvenie 12yo 'Signature' (40%, OB, Ltd release batch #1, +/-2008)
Nose: Polished and sherried. Some subtle fruits - blueberries? Or is it a more floral sweetness?
Heather? A prototypical Speyside malt. Works very well for about 10 minutes, then it slowly dies out.
Taste: A tad weaker than I expected at first, but very well rounded. Powers up in the fruity centre.
Toffee and a touch of smoke. Very long, satisfying finish. A very well balanced whisky; good craftsmanship.
Not the sort of profile I usually go ga-ga over, but very well crafted.
Score: 83 points - although not all maniacs liked it quite as much as I did...

Balvenie 17yo 'Rum Cask Finish' (43%, OB, Bottled +/- 2008)
Nose: Hey - fresh and faintly chemical. Polished with light fruity notes. An explosion of complexity after a minute.
Is this a finished whisky? Peanuts? Some Asian spices. Wood. Really makes quite an impression.
Taste: A tad weak, but then a very unique, complex fruitness pops up. Very entertaining.
The long finish is a tad dry before growing fruitier. Most likely a finished whisky - but I like it.
Score: 84 points - even in a blind tasting it was fairly obviously finished.

Balvenie 17yo 'SheryOak' (43%, OB, Bottled +/- 2007)
Nose: Woody and sherried - classic. Old cigar smoke? Undertones of furniture polish.
Taste: Big and woody, then smoky. A tad too extreme on the palate for me.
No sweetness or peat to balance the smoke. Strong tannins. Great style, but lacks some body.
Score: 83 points - if the emphasis hadn't been as much on the smoke I would have scored it higher.

Balvenie 1991 'PortWood' (40%, OB, Bottled 2004)
Nose: Very fruity. More sweetness after a few seconds. Lovely sherried nose. Drops off fairly quickly, though
Taste: Oooh, that's a bit disappointing. Much weaker than I expected. Fruity centre. Faint hint of liquorice?
Score: 83 points - I adore the nose and even with a slightly unsatisfactory palate it makes it into the 80's.

Balvenie 10yo 'Founders Reserve' (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2003, 70cl)
Nose: Creamy and sweetish. Spices. Christmas cookies? A narrow spectrum. Rich. Hint of peat?
It opens up with time. Did they perhaps increase the number of young casks in recent vattings?
Taste: Flat, Gritty start. A little thin. Definitely some brine in the centre. Tongue-coating.
Bittersweet burn. Sweetish, warm finish. It slowly recovers some points after a weak start.
Score: 77 points - above average but a few steps down from earlier batches from the 1990's.

Balvenie 12yo 'Doublewood' (43%, OB, Bottled +/- 2003, 70cl)
Nose: Aaaah.... Sherry and organics. Marzipan. Furniture polish. Wood. Still going strong...
Fruit sweets. Something spicy around the corner. Never a dull moment with the Doublewood.
Taste: Woody start. Sweet, full-bodied centre. Malty. Sherried. Spicy finish. I love this stuff.
Score: 86 points - unlike many other 'standards' of the 1990's it stays in tip-top shape.

Balvenie 1989 'PortWood' (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2003, 70cl)
Nose: Wow! Rich and balanced. Fairly similar to the Doublewood, but not as expressive.
Marzipan. Lemon? Very nice, but I can't find the port. Nothing like the 'Morangie Port.
Taste: Smooth and sweet start. Solid, fruity centre. Coffee? Not very complex.
The finish grows slightly winey and woody - maybe that's the port influence?
Score: 83 points - a recommendable malt but I would have liked to see more port.

Balvenie 15yo 1985/2002 'Single Barrel' (50.4%, OB, Cask #286, Bottle #177)
Nose: Honey sweet. Spicy. Surprisingly light and fruity. Tangerines? Organics as well.
Smoked ham? Raw string beans? Lavender? A 'wider' profile than earlier batches.
Taste: Sweet and fruity - like fruit cake. Full bodied centre. Good mouth feel.
Pleasant prickle. A very long woody finish, maybe just a tad too woody for me.
Score: 83 points - quite different from an earlier cask, but just as lovely.

Balvenie 17yo 'Islay Cask' (43%, OB, serie of 94 casks, Bottled +/- 2001, 70cl)
Nose: Soft and sweet. Honey. Toffee. Something doesn't fit. It seems a bit restrained.
The Islay part doesn't show itself for a few minutes - and when it does it hardly 'screams'.
Taste: Rough. Unbalanced. Little depth. Solid centre. Very dry, especially in the finish.
Score: 76 points - decent, but I see no justification to pay 100 Euro's for a bottle.

Balvenie 12yo 'Doublewood' (43%, OB, Bottled +/- 2001, 100cl)
Nose: Sweet and nutty start. Some sherry. A little alcoholic. Fruitier and woodier with time.
Seems just a little more restrained than I remember - less fresh sherry influences these days?
Taste: Fruity sweetness mixed with minty freshness. Intriguing sherry notes - plenty of them.
Very sweet, but different kinds of sweetness appearing one after another. Excellent.
Score: 85 points - still highly recommendable; it keeps in shape over the years.

Balvenie 25yo 1974/2000 'Single Barrel' (46.9%, OB, Cask #15208, 70cl)
Nose: Wonderful perspective - very subtle. Sweet with late fruits and chocolate.
Balanced without supressing any of the individual elements. A malt to get lost in.
Taste: Very soft and accessible. Extremely fruity - maybe a tad too much. Long finish.
Score: 84 points - an interesting alternative perspective on Balvenie.

Balvenie 21yo 'Port Wood' (40%, OB, Bottled 1997, 70cl) 
Nose: Oomph! Very rich; smells almost like a C/S at 40%. Pipe tobacco and incense?
Sweet, but less honeyed than the younger bottlings. Amazing complexity and development.
Taste: Round and full palate. Great mouth feel. I couldn't really detect the port here, though.
Very woody, and more so after breathing. Make sure to empty the bottle quickly after opening.
Score: 87 points - this has been my #1 Balvenie for over a decade. Fabulous stuff.

Balvenie 15yo 1980/1996 'Single Barrel' (50,4%, OB, Cask #15986, Bottle #152)
Nose: Very soft, considering its strength (50.4%). This one needs just a little water.
Honeyish and woody; oilier and much lighter in character than the 12yo Doublewood.
Taste: Almost fruity at first, then a honeyish sweetness. Interesting development.
A peppery 'Allegro' followed by a never ending 'Adagio'. Best experienced neat.
Score: 84 points - recommendable, but I prefer the 12yo DW myself.

Balvenie 10yo 'Founders Reserve' (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 1995, 70cl)
Nose: Wonderful bouquet. Honey! Minty? Somewhat dry with a hint of old raisins.
Taste: Sweet and smooth; gently flows through your mouth. Easily drinkable.
A very nice malt, but not quite as noble and complex as it's older brothers.
Score: 82 points - I could definitely recommend this to everybody.

Balvenie 12yo 'Doublewood' (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 1995, 70cl)
Nose: More sherry and old fruit than in the 10yo. Honey. Wonderful complexity.
The complexity grows even further after adding some water. A joyride for the nose.
Taste: Sherry. Nutty sweetness. Dark chocolate, Peppermint? Complex with great development.
Amazing balance. What a wonderful all-round single malt - I could drink this all evening.
Score: 86 points - highly recommendable. And the bottle is just so beautiful...
 

And there's more to tell about Balvenie...

These were not all (official & independent) bottlings of Balvenie Scotch whisky I've tried over the years.
Besides, these tasting notes only reflect my own, personal opinion; your tastes might be different from mine.
Fortunately, you can find the scores and tasting notes from up to two dozen other whisky lovers in the 'Malt Maniacs Monitor' - an independent whisky database with details on more than 15,000 different whiskies from Scotland and the rest of the world. Visit the Balvenie page on the MMMonitor and select 'scorecard view' if you want to know how other whisky lovers felt about the hundreds of Balvenie expressions that have been released in recent years. However, if you'd like to learn more about whisky in general (and single malt Scotch whisky in particular), you might want to check out the Beginner's Guide to Scotch whisky (10 chapters filled with everything you need to fully enjoy and appreciate a glass of single malt whisky) or the mAlmanac (sort of a rudimentary whisky shopping guide.)
 

2001 - The Balvenie Islay Cask is launched. This whisky has been aged in bourbon casks for 17 years before it's finished in an 'Islay cask'. That's supposedly a cask that has previously contained a malt whisky from Islay.
So, I guess you could call this a whisky with a whisky finish...
 
2005 - The Balvenie 14yo Rum Wood Finish is released; another double matured whisky in a growing list of finished whiskies released by Balvenie. Arguably their Balvenie DoubleWood has always remained their most popular 'finish'.
 
2008 - For a long time, the Balvenie distillery used to have four sets of two stills. In 2008 one wash still and two spirit stills were added. The stills of Balvenie are divided across two different still rooms.
 
2009 - It seems that rum finishes have grown increasingly popular with the people behind Balvenie; after releasing a 14yo in 2005 and a 17yo in 2008 they bottled two different 14yo's in 2009; a 'Cuban Selection' for France and a 'Golden Cask' version for the duty free market.
 
2010 - A 40 years old official bottling of Balvenie is released; probably the oldest official expression ever.
In the same year, a total of 182,000 cases of the Balvenie malt whisky were sold.