The soft, rich and honey-like whiskey is The Ballenies trademark, but one week a year, the Speyside distiller tries with dry spoon malt (30 ppm). This distillate is significantly different from that normally produced in the balvenie and production is limited to one week per year, among other things because the boilers and other equipment must be thoroughly cleaned so that the smoke does not contaminate the other distillations. The whiskey is stored 14 years on Fade of American oak and tapped at respectable 48.3% alcohol.
Color: Golden.
Fragrance: Burned caramel, heather, leather and cedar.
Taste notes: Honey and earthy drying. Hints of apricot.
Serving suggestions: Enjoyed clean, eg after dinner as AVEC.
The Balvenie is one of the few distilleries in Scotland who still have a team of execusers employed, own copper with and even cultivations and males barley – and although it only reaches 15% of the need, it is a proof of the distillery dedication to the good craftsmanship .
The Balvenie is close to Glenfiddich, but has a greater focus on double storage in both Bourbon and Sherryfade. Since “Doublewood” was released in 1993, it was the first whiskey that boasts a “finish” on Sherryfade – a method that is indispensable for many distilleries today.
The brand is priced zealously by the owners, and it is monstrauses that you see The Balvenie from independent decants. In cases where the distillery of one reason sells fade from, they are typically sparked up with a few drops (“teaspooning”) from the neighboring gills Glenfiddich and must therefore not be sold as single malt. The resulting blended malt is usually called Burnside. The same process undergoes Glenfiddich with whiskey from The Balvenie, and this blended malt is called Wardhead.
