I’m just going to say it. Whisky tastes better when drunk with the person who made it.
So sipping through the Balvenie Cask Finish Series with recently appointed Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie was not just a special treat, it was a perfect opportunity to better understand four Balvenie ‘secondary finish’ single malts: Double Wood Aged 12 Years, Rum Cask Aged 14 Years, Balvenie Stories: A Revelation of Cask and Character Aged 19 Years, and PortWood 21-year-old. Below, McKechnie walks us through each expression.
The Balvenie Double Wood Aged 12 Years
Vitals: 86 Proof (43% ABV); $70
We first released Double Wood in 1993, and over thirty years later, it‘s still an exceptional product. This single malt spent its first 12 years in American oak before finishing in beautiful sherry butts for an additional 9-12 months. I am looking for a sherry aroma here with a lot of spice. It has to be lively. As we taste it, we should be able to peel off layers to reveal honey, citrus, and toffee. This profile is the cornerstone of our character, with spice and sherry layered on top.
The Balvenie Rum Cask Aged 14 Years
Vitals: 86 Proof (43% ABV); $80
We keep a small parcel of Caribbean rum here in Dufftown to make this Balvenie. Rum ages in bourbon barrels for about four months, and then we fill those casks with Balvenie for roughly another four. In contrast to the toffee, spice, and caramel notes in the Double Wood, the Rum Cask Finish imparts these velvety, juicy fruit flavors. There are beautiful ‘candy shop-style aromas. There is a different sweetness and spice between the rum and sherry cask finishes. They present themselves differently.
“We pride ourselves on being the home of cask finishing. We have a signature DNA thread running through these expressions, on top of which we add a beautiful layer of cask finishing.”
— Balvenie Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie
Balvenie Stories: A Revelation of Cask and Character Aged 19 Years
Vitals: 95 Proof (47.5 ABV); $500
Our Stories Series is an amazing way to exhibit small parcels of stock that highlight the important processes we have at the distillery. This story talks about the Balvenie Cooperage and the coopers’ incredible journey to maintain and repair the casks used for maturing the whiskey. We believe that if we invest time and effort into creating great quality casks, it will repay us by creating beautiful whiskey. And here is the proof. This whisky spent its entire life in Olorosso sherry butts, resulting in a beautifully sweet dram with delicate spice and a luscious viscosity. Then we rested our favorite sherry butts for a couple of years in a finishing cask to achieve the level of flavor and intensity we look for.
Balvenie PortWood 21 Years Old
Vitals: 86 Proof (43% ABV); $250
Our Balvenie Portwood is another classic expression we’ve been bottling since 1995, and it’s one I absolutely love. After aging for 21 years, we allow 4 – 6 months to finish in port pipes. Immediately, you taste a jammy sweetness from the port pipes with cooked fruit, caramelized sugar, and beautifully rich depth. This complements the signature toffee, citrus, and honey flavors that run through it. This whisky has that ‘whisky effect’ where you almost want to chew it, and at 21 years of age, it’s unique with highly developed flavors.
Spirits writers, marketers and designers are among the most influential forces in the spirits industry. Their opinions, ideas and creative talents inform and influence consumer perceptions and buying decisions. The John Barleycorn Society was started by a group of spirits journalists seeking to honor excellence in all facets of the industry. The journalists spent several years creating a comprehensive competition that became the John Barleycorn Awards. An elite team of authoritative and influential spirits journalists was selected to administer the flagship component of the Awards, a blind tasting competition destined to become the preeminent arbitrator of spirits taste, quality and character.
