Balvenie 15yo Single Cask – 47.8% abv

Info: Cask 16293, a single barrel sherry cask.
Colour: Bright & clear golden with some orange tints.
Extra: Oily thick legs that slowly run down the glass.
Nose: Malty, nutty and deep, there’s layers of great flavours here to explore. Some toffee and butter cream along with a small bowl full of autumnal stewed fruits. Hints of spicy oak wood.
Palate: Fairly thick but also sprightly on your tongue. There’s enough spices to keep it on it’s toes, but it’s quite accessible and easy to drink with layers of sweet malt and fruits followed up with honey, cream and gentle oak notes at the back. There are touches of cask char that build towards the end of the palate to give a very slight smoky hint.
Finish: The finish is gently spice lead, with malt and lightly sweet winter fruits following on into what turns out to be a long, gentle and relaxingly pleasing end. Soft tannins last out giving a bit of a dry, dusty barley finish.
Thoughts: I was expecting this to be good, and I’m pleased to say it was great! Being single cask releases there may be variations from bottle to bottle as casks change, but the general profile of each is picked so that they should all be similar. It’s a great malt to hold on your tongue for ages and enjoy.
Available: The Green Welly Stop – £74

Thanks to Balvenie for the sample.