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| Hello, that is one in all our (virtually) each day tastings. Santé! |
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October 22, 2024
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A bit trio of Balvenie
Balvenie can be a kind of manufacturers more and more utilizing uncommon casks for ending, however firstly, we have all the time held the utmost respect for Balvenie, and secondly, they had been among the many pioneers with their famend ‘Doublewood’, ‘Islay Cask’, and ‘Portwood’. So, we will hardly accuse them of simply leaping on the bandwagon.
(All the time been a fan of The Balvenie Man – print advert, circa 2005)
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Balvenie 14 yo (47.8%, OB, A Assortment of Curious Casks, American bourbon barrel, 2024) 
Properly, after all, an ex-bourbon barrel might hardly qualify as a ‘curious cask,’ and I do hope it by no means will, nevertheless it appears the nice folks at Balvenie have detected some uncommon smoky notes right here. I think that may have come from the earlier contents of the barrel. Color: white wine. Nostril: it’s completely lovely, paying homage to a top-tier Chenin Blanc (Savennières, maybe?) with a contact of gunflint. Honeysuckle, white currants, pink grapefruit, chalk, and some hints of soot and saltpetre, adopted by very restrained vanilla. The steadiness is excellent. For now, the smoke is extra of the ‘flinty’ selection. Mouth: fantastic lemony stress, with extra flint and chalk, maybe even a suggestion of cigarette ash (brings to thoughts the times when one would possibly smoke outside in a powerful wind), then inexperienced apple and certainly a whisper of lapsang souchong tea, although maybe solely half of a small cup, the type they generally use in China. End: the traditional Balvenie markers come by—quince and mirabelle plums—then a contact of acacia honey, however general it stays delightfully taut, with a touch of salinity within the aftertaste. Feedback: superb certainly. I wasn’t fairly certain what to anticipate.
SGP:462 – 87 factors. |
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Balvenie 18 yo (47.9%, OB, A Assortment of Curious Casks, French pineau cask end, 2024)
I do marvel what’s occurring with all these pineau casks popping up in Scotland as of late. Only a reminder, pineau (not pinot) is grape should fortified with cognac (from the Charentes area), so it’s not precisely ‘wine’. If we let our pals north of Hadrian’s Wall stick with it like this, we’ll quickly have pineau in mizunara oak casks. That’ll be amusing… Don’t get me mistaken, there are some distinctive pineaux from the Charentes, however very like with sherry, I doubt the superstars are getting used for these finishings. Color: pale gold. Nostril: it’s paying homage to Sauternes or Monbazillac finishes—candy, fruity, and syrupy, with honey, ripe peaches, and apricots main the cost. There’s additionally some very ripe mirabelle plum (the type that turns virtually purple), although whether or not that comes from the pineau or from Balvenie itself, I couldn’t say. A contact of ale reminds us it’s nonetheless whisky. Mouth: the identical impression, although it’s a bit tighter than anticipated. Pink grapefruit, tangerines, honey, prickly pears, a touch of lychee in syrup, and a really, very slight trace of grape stem. That mirabelle, nonetheless, is nowhere to be discovered on the palate. End: medium size, with a pleasant fruity steadiness—Starkrimson apples, Belle de Boskoop, and a little bit of grapefruit pores and skin on the aftertaste. Feedback: a beautiful balancing act, although I nonetheless rely myself amongst those that consider whisky needs to be ‘dry’. So, I do somewhat choose the 14.
SGP:651 – 85 factors.
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Burnside 27 yo 1996/2024 (52.9%, Halcyon Spirits, blended malt, launch #4, sherry end) 
Burnside, a kind of manufacturers that has performed a lot to revive the status of teaspoons, each in Scotland and much past. They deserve a medal (maybe in nickel silver or vermeil). Color: deep gold. Nostril: fairly a unique story, dominated by polish and polish, virtually like a younger bourbon with a excessive rye content material. Maybe it’s from the cask used earlier than the sherry ending? Folks often point out pumpernickel, however right here there’s actually numerous it, together with a handful of small Cuban cigars—the type JFK might need smoked after the American embargo, probably Davidoff’s Haut-Brion. Do as I say, not as I do… With water: related, however now with extra plasticine and new automotive inside. A bit like recent plastic from Temu or AliExpress, oddly pleasurable regardless of the chemical notes. Mouth (neat): excellent, very a lot on the sherry facet, with walnuts, gentle mustard, and damp earth, very ‘amontillado’. With water: gone are the quirky e-commerce notes, changed by mustard, inexperienced walnuts, tobacco, and small cider apples. End: lengthy and zesty, with fruit peels and extra amontillado within the aftertaste. Or maybe vin jaune. Feedback: fairly a shock. The thought appeared unusual, however the result’s merely good. What a sherry!
SGP:462 – 90 factors. |
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