Foreign Whisky of the Month - 06/2013: The Balvenie

[Virus_Of_Life]

We are going to go ahead and introduce a Foreign Whisky of the Month. Starting at least for the first few months as a Distillery, could in the future be specific bottlings but since most of us here are bourbon-centric I agreed that focusing on an entire distillery might make some strict bourbophiles a little more apt to try something from a different land.

Sorry this is going to be a short month for this one so in light of that I wanted to choose one that I think would definitely be worth coming back to in a year or two; the Balvenie. In my opinion some of their expressions are a lot more approachable for one who typically drinks only bourbon. And I think we all can admire they still do most, if not everything, themselves - oh, and they're not owned by Diageo.

Balvenie is one of the few distilleries - other than Ardbeg of course - which I currently have more than 1 bottle open of at the moment. I currently have the 17 year Peated Cask and a Single Barrel 15 year bottled in 2001 which I find incredible. I've actually been treating that akin to a bottle of Weller 19, only having it occasionally because I know I'll never find it again.

Please discuss and feel free to make suggestions about what is a good starting point. Obviously the 12 year is probably very attainable in most places and a good starter bottle for just about anyone who isn't already familiar with The Balvenie.

[ChainWhip]

Thanks for teeing this series off V-o-L! My first experience with Balvenie was after dinner (on somebody else's expense account) one night - one the guys orders a round of the 12yr Doublewood. It was rather unremarkable at the time due to the fact that we had downed a lot of wine and I'd just had some Ardbeg Corryvreckan prior.

I got a mini-sampler set (12yr Doublewood, 15yr Single Barrel, 21yr Portwood) and gave it another go. They were all well crafted but aside from the sherry or port influence, they lacked any oomph or were too sweet or not sweet enough or yadda yadda yadda. Yeah, I was exhibiting some Goldilocks characteristics for whatever reason.

That was until I tried the 17yr Madeira and boy did that make me perk up and pay attention! This was "just right"!

Since then I've tried many of the regular expressions but the Balvenie TUN 1401 Batch 3 is the one that's stood out for me - probably the best single malt scotch I've had in my short whisky drinking tenure... I can spend all night with a single pour of this.

[sutton]

I think a good one for a bourbon/rye drinker would be The Balvenie 15yr Single Barrel - spicy with oaky vanilla and at over 94 proof is similar to the higher strength you might be accustomed to without the peatiness if you are looking to avoid that - nice mouthfeel and I'm guessing more bourbon barrel than sherry here, so again it might be a "gateway" scotch, except for the price!

[portwood]

Balvenie is one of those malts that is difficult not to like, yet difficult to love.

I find it surprising that bourbon (an in-your-face drink, generally at high ABV) drinkers find Balvenie (a middle-of-the-road malt lacking in strong flavours and LOW abv) a likeable malt.

To me, most of the expressions are very thin and would benefit from a few higher ABV points*. Being one of the most expensive malts at all of the age categories also means it doesn't offer much value.

*ok to keep the 12 doublewood at 40% but everything else could use a bump. Its almost laughable that the 12 & 15 year old single barrel aren't even at cask strength but watered down to a consistent abv.

[Yeti]

The 15 is a really great whisky. Not peaty, not a sherry bomb, just a really classic down-the-middle Speysider from the hand of David Stewart, Master Blender. He's been at the helm of Balvenie for 50 years, and can be attributed some credit for pioneering finishing and multi-barrel aging. I really enjoy the Balvenie profile, which is front and center with the 15, and once you know it well, it enhances your experiences with the different annual 17 year old releases.

It's also rarely a bad idea to have a dram of the 21 port wood, though cost is certainly a consideration.

Edit for response: Don't want to jack the thread here, but is it laughable that the Buffalo Trace single barrel releases (Eagle Rare, ETL, Blanton's, etc.) are diluted to an even lower proof than the Balvenie 15 (47.8%)? That seems like an incredibly ridiculous stance to take here.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Yeti

[tanstaafl2]

My only extended experience with The Balvenie was at a tasting that included the 14yo rum cask, 15yo single malt and 17yo peated cask. I had expected to like the rum cask but was not as enamored with it as I had hoped. I agree the 15yo cask was the best to me, as an occasional scotch malt drinker, and would work the best for people not that accustom to scotch. The 17yo peated cask was OK but pricey and while I don't mind smoke it just didn't seem balanced and didn't work for me.

Having tried Balvenie in this setting I did not feel compelled to acquire any for future consumption.

[portwood]

That seems like an incredibly ridiculous stance to take here.

Maybe so, but all the other major players* (including its own sister distillery Glenfiddich) offer at least one expression at cask strength.

*Glenfiddich: 15yo Distillers edition (not exactly cs but close @51%)

Glenlivet: 16yo Nadurra

Aberlour: a'bunadh

Macallan: cask strength (10yo in some markets)

Glenfarclas: 10yo 105

Talisker: 57 north, storm

Springbank: various

Ardbeg: various

Lagavulin: 12yo

Laphroaig: 10yo cs

Caol Ila: cs

Bowmore: 10yo tempest

etc

etc

[Yeti]

True, and several of those are in regular production, but many are annual releases. And to that end, Balvenie offers the Tun series which is more limited than any you mentioned, but still obtainable, as well as the much more expensive vintage releases.

I'm a "cask strength uber alles" kinda guy myself, so I know where you're coming from, and I'll certainly stand with anyone who wishes for a sister release to the 15 year that's straight out of the barrel.

[squire]

Good choice, I think of the Grant Family as similar to the Shapiras and their company as the Heaven Hill of the Scots whisky trade. Their principal single malt, Glenfiddich is the largest selling single World wide and the distillery next door, Balvinie, produces a range of single malt expressions to please a wide range of palates.

My choice of the Balvinie singles is the Founder's Reserve, formerly a vatting of 8-12 year old whiskys, in recent times it was issued as a 10 year age stated label but I suspect there were some older barrels in the mix. Slightly smoky, lightly sweet, mature and mellow with a clean, dry, long finish. Remarkably well balanced (I like that in any whisky) it's a dram to sit and contemplate the constituent parts while reflecting on how seamlessly they merge together.

Regretably, it has been supplanted by the 12 year expression which I believe errs on the side of sweetness but apparently that's what sells today.

[geereg]

I recently purchased a bottle of the Founder's Reserve 10 year. Is there any way to tell when it was bottled? Thanks.

[squire]

No idea how but don't think it matters. The family who built the distillery in 1892 still own and operate it so we don't have the problem of a brand changing hands thus having to date bottles to determine whose whisky they contain.

[GaryT]

I've tried (and continue to try) to like Scotch - going to tastings around Atlanta (member of the Metro Atlanta Scotch Club) I've probably tried 50 different single malts over the past 2 years. Of all of those, I own exactly 4 bottles (one of which was a gift, that I did ask for). The Balvenie 12 yr Double-Wood holds one of those four select spots. As a bourbon and rye drinker, I don't look for the same things in my Scotch (two of the other four are Laphroaig Quarter Cask and Ardbeg 10 yr). If I want a bourbon or rye - I've got plenty of those. I found the Balvenie 12 to be very approachable and drinkable, without being too thin or wispy. One of my challenges with Scotch is that many of them seem to rely on my imagination quite a bit, with the host exuding "Can't you get the notes of tulip petals under some highland grass and . . . " when I basically get weak, sorta floral tasting whiskey. I've tried others in the Balvenie line that I liked (the 21 yr Portwood was pretty nice, but I wasn't prepared to part with the $$ for it; the 17 yr Caribbean Cask was in that same boat). I haven't had the 15 yr SB, but look forward to trying that. But I enjoy (although not as often as my bourbon/rye!) a pour of the 12 yr . . . typically on a slow night when I want something a bit different from what I've been dipping into.

[Lost Pollito]

The thing I notice about Balvenie the most, is its soft approachable flavors. Nothing to intense or to subtle. I have a single barrel of Balvenie here at cask strength, but without any finishing on it. Just from a hoggie. What I've come to appreciate with this no-frills example, is the fantastic blenders crafting the everyday bottlings from Balvenie. On its own from a hoggie, I find the malt to be rather underwhelming. But playing with different barrels, port, sherry, etc., they seem to do a really nice job to making the sum greater than the parts. My favorite expression's have been the recent Tun1401 versions. I actually prefer the 6th batch over the 3, because of the smaller amount of sherry in the 6.Though, if I had a time machine, I'd go back and pick up as much Portwood 21 as possible...at those much more appealing shelf prices from just 5 years ago.

[Virus_Of_Life]

I am pretty sure my SB 15 year is Cask Strength, or at least it is some weird number over 50%. I'll open my bar up and look later tonight.

[portwood]

I am pretty sure my SB 15 year is Cask Strength, or at least it is some weird number over 50%. I'll open my bar up and look later tonight.

Edited June 18, 2013 by portwood

[AaronWF]

I've had only brief run-ins with Balvenie that have left me completely uninterested in it. I associate it with bland sweetness and gimmickry wood-work. I definitely took note of the hype around the Tun 1401 batch 3, but I couldn't entertain the thought of plunking down $250 for an expression from a distillery I was so unfamiliar with for more than 5 minutes.

The wide variety of releases coupled by the prices just high enough to make me think twice leave very little opening for me to work on familiarizing myself with the distillery. This is true for many Scotch distilleries, actually. I tasted a 12yo 1B earlier this year and found nothing persuasive about it at all.

Unfortunately, my opinions on Balvenie are based on scant experience. But this is why I have spent so much time pursuing bourbon rather than malt: the much lower barrier to entry. It was more true 7 years ago than it is now, but it's not like scotch prices haven't climbed along with bourbon prices.

Sounds like the 15yo would be the one to take the plunge on. I'll see what the prices are like for it around here, but I'm not optimistic I'll come away from the store with a bottle.

[sob0728]

I really like their whole range, especially the value priced ones (I can find Doublewood for $30 and Signature for $35 in MN). The Caribbean cask 14 year for $55 or so is also pretty good if you like the rum influence. I did not particularly care for the Peated Cask 17 but I am not a big peat guy. I have also tasted the Madeira 17 and the Tun 1401 Batch 3, both of which were excellent. The 15 single barrel is also very good. I think they have done a good job of providing a wide range of whiskeys, the younger ones are affordable and the older, more expensive ones have been pretty amazing.

[weller_tex]

When I was all into Single Malts and not drinking bourbon..The Balvenie Founder's Reserve was my bang for buck whisky. Really good stuff. I have had the 12 year Doublewood and like it OK..the 15 year disappointed me.

[WAINWRIGHT]

I would have to agree that when the FR was still gracing shelves it was indeed a great bargain and I feel that some of the entry replacements are,well a bit novice and dull.I do agree that both the Tun and the 21yr Portwood would be my overall picks of the lineup but as far repeat buys and not breaking the bank the 15 SB is pretty tough to beat for a Balvenie.Parting words the Caribbean Cask and Double Wood were both disappointments in my book,not necessarily bad,just lacking.

[squire]

Lackluster is exactly what I was thinking.

[portwood]

Lackluster is exactly what I was thinking.

Well put.

The only stuff that isn't lackluster (tun 1401, and to lesser extent portwood 21yo) is very expensive. So, of the distilleries with readily available single malts, Balvenie remains the most under-represented in my collection (one bottle out of >100).

[MyOldKyDram]

Yeah would love to try the tun 1401, but just not in the cards at tht price.

[ratcheer]

I am not really a Scotch drinker anymore, but I do have a bottle of The Balvenie 15-year old single barrel that I've been nursing for quite a few years. I agree, it is a wonderful whisky and it gives me joy every time I try it. It gives real meaning to the term "honey barrel".

Tim

[squire]

What I was saying is the basic whisky is fine it's the distillery efforts to improve it with finishing that have produced lackluster results.

[Shuboy]

I must have gotten a good single barrel (in fact it's 16 years old rather than the minimum 15) because my bottle of Balvenie 15 is one of the best vanilla and honey bombs I've tasted. I think Balvenie might be perfect for people with sweet tooths like me.