Balvenie The Sweet Toast of American Oak 12 Year

The Week of the Peat 14 Year was solid. Now I'm moving on to the 12 Year installment. This is a bourbon and virgin oak-aged whiskey. Spoiler alert: I will not be completing the trio; that 26-year-old Dark Barley whiskey will likely be gone by the time I'm ready to purchase it. And I'm fine with that. On to the review. Nose: Apple, pear, apricot, and orange. Toffee, vanilla, malt, and honey. Almond and walnut. Caramel, shortbread cookie, butterscotch. Cinnamon and a strong oak note. Lavender and other floral scents. A pleasant start. Palate: Apple, orange, pear, apricot, golden raisin, and peach. Caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, and malt. Almond and walnut. Milk chocolate and shortbread cookie. Plenty more oak. Finish: Apple, pear, apricot, and golden raisin. Mocha. Toasted almond. Caramel and vanilla. Cinnamon, baking spices, and oak. A bit strong, but still good. Moderate length. 4.25. Considering value for money, it's the same score I gave the Week of the Peat. It's very good. Although $65 is a bit steep for a 12-year old, I believe it was worth the purchase. Oak is the main characteristic. This is a very fittingly named whiskey. I think that if you enjoy the 12-year Single Barrel, you will also appreciate this one. I'm unsure if this was a limited release; my bottle says Story No. 1. If there are more batches to come, I would try them. Otherwise, this is worth buying while it's still available.

I got this at a sports bar, and the bartender kept inquiring about my "shot," but it was poured correctly, so it doesn't matter. It has a beautiful, vibrant golden hue. The aroma is butterscotch, vanilla, and coffee creamer. A secondary wave of sherry and plum emerges. And the final touch: sweet notes reminiscent of blue cotton candy at the back of the nasal passage. The warmth is acceptable, not unpleasant. Flavors of vanilla and cream are present again. More of that cotton candy sweetness. There's a subtle hint of toasted wheat bread, though I'm unsure if that's influenced by the label. A lovely blend of caramel and barley sugars; like heather in a field. It's wonderfully balanced. The finish is slightly smoky, but significantly softened by a lavender perfume. Numerous sherry-like tannins, with a kick of cinnamon and seeded bread. A fair amount of leather. I'm truly pleased I gambled on this Scotch. It's remarkably pleasant and smooth, with abundant creamy vanilla and cotton candy sweetness, yet possesses a spicy counterpoint that prevents it from being overly sugary. I will certainly try it again.

On the nose, I'm initially struck by minerally and musty notes, which is quite unexpected given my previous experiences with this distillery. There's an element that reminds me of another whiskey. Then apricot, honey, and oddly watermelon rind, followed by vanilla and oak. The palate carries much of the same. The finish is notable for some of the barrel spices typically found in bourbon. I'm not sure if I prefer this over the 12 Doublewood. It's more intriguing, and the spicy finish is nice, but the Doublewood is such an easy drinker. Update: With each subsequent taste, I find myself liking this less and less. Perhaps my bottle was off somehow, because there's something sour and unappealing about it. The score is decreasing. Dropping a full point and it might go lower. Update 2: Either my bottle was spoiled, or I have a genetic taste variation like people who perceive cilantro as soap, but I strongly dislike this. The sour funk seems to intensify.

Balvenie is among my favorite distilleries. The profile is so crisp and clean, exuding quality. While this is pricey for a 12-year-old, it justifies the cost. The nose offers fresh Honeycrisp apples coated in caramel, rich malt, and toasted oak, rounded out by a touch of baking spices. It's a wonderfully juicy and inviting nose, free of ethanol, encouraging immediate enjoyment. The palate echoes this, delivering dense, sweet malt, sliced apples and pears in cream, balanced by barrel tannins and nutmeg, with a hint of wispy smoke. The peat presence is subtle, perhaps only implied. The finish is long-lasting, with fruity malt and polished oak fading to raw vanilla and a singed graham cracker crust. It's truly delicious, embodying everything desirable in a Speyside and more. The drinkability is very high, with a smoothness and appeal that anyone can appreciate.......93/100.... I would easily buy it again.

What an incredibly soft, almost imperceptible nose. Just wisps of vanilla mixed with bread, like a sweet vanilla bread. The taste performs an interesting dance on the tongue, spreading to the sides of your mouth and coating the taste buds like warm butter. Along with it, it carries some almond and brown sugar. The finish is relatively long as the taste buds savor the sweetness, ending with a barely detectable fragrant bread-like character, similar to the soft center of warm French bread. This distillery never disappoints. Except perhaps for the price tags on its bottles, but for a dram this delicious, I can set aside my practicality for one evening.

Nose - honey Taste - overwhelmingly sweet with more honey and vanilla Finish - diminishes here, with a touch of clove and a slight bite from the alcohol Score - 4.25, a wonderfully easy sipper packed with sweetness, it reminds me of the first Scotch I ever tried, Glenlivet 12, but more refined Scoring Legend 5.0 - Outstanding, unmatched to others 4.5 - Excellent, I will always keep a bottle in stock if possible 4.0 - Very good, quite enjoyable to drink, can consider as a solid choice 3.5 - Good, would taste again 3.0 - Average 2.5 - Acceptable, still drinkable 2.0 - Inferior, able to drink but not enjoyable 1.5 and below—wouldn’t drink again unless I am desperate