Whisky Review: The Balvenie 15 Year Single Barrel

Single Malt

Style/Region: Speyside

Age: 15 Year

Barrel: Single, Traditional Oak Cask

Bottle Date: October, 14 2009

Alcohol: 47.8%

Water added: yes

Nose: Honey, fruit, apricot, light vanilla

Mouth Feel: Smooth, slightly oily

Flavor: Sweet and sour, spicy, peppery

Finish: tart, spicy, peppery, oak

Overall Impressions of The Balvenie 15 Year Single Barrel: This is a smooth, spicy and complex scotch whiskey. Probably friendly as an introductory scotch for the novice, though not as friendly as some of the other Balvenie whiskies. Balvenie is a scotch I continually come back to. I like the variety of its offerings and the sweet smoothness that characterizes so many of them. However I must admit that part of it is probably that it has several good offerings at a price point I’m willing to pay (<$100) and is relatively easy for me to find. My wife has indicated that she thinks she’d like scotch if she gave it a try (this came about from me adding some to her chamomile tea once). She’s not a big drinker, but Balvenie is probably what I’d use to introduce her to scotch – though imagine it would be one of their other varieties since the Single Barrel is so peppery and complex.