The Balvenie, Doublewood (aged 12 years)
Scotch Whisky, Speyside
Originally Posted by
Review
On the nose it smells light and reminds me of church for some reason. A hint of Port wine perhaps, which was always what we had at Communion in the place where my parents took me while growing up. With the first sip there is little of note to relate. It is standard and has no swelling marks of smoke or peat or any of the dozen lesser flavors that get mixed into whiskies. It is however certainly a gentle breed, and shows its quality well. To be honest, though I find nothing remarkable about it, it has a certain degree of honest simplicity that is refreshing. This is a whisky that knows what it is about, and what it is about is being a simple and competent drink, without fanfare or bold trappings. A true Speyside whisky to be sure!
For those of you who don't know, many areas with lots of distilleries have certain overall trends to them. In Scotland there are three main "schools of thought" that have pretty clear geographical delineations to them. There are the island whiskies, which tend towards smoky and peaty flavors, with hints of sea-salt and breeze in them. There are the Highland Scotches, which can be mixed pretty well, but also tend more towards peat and earthy flavors. And then there are the Speyside distilleries, which are almost always light and open, erring more toward citrus, honey, grass, or fruit flavors. The Balvenie would, I'd say, fit squarely into its ranks as a Speyside whisky. It has nothing overpowering or hugely distinct, but it imparts all it needs to without those. It is definitely not one that would be a favorite of mine, as I much prefer the smokier and peatier malts, but it is definitely a good one for all that.
Normally, I'd also like to give a price-to-quality ratio for the whisky being reviewed, but this bottle was a Christmas gift, so I have no idea. I am sure a price can be easily looked up online, but hey, I'm here to review, not provide market research If anyone else has thoughts on this whisky, feel free to share them below! If not, I hope the review is of interest and maybe use to someone!