Drink Review : Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood

One of the classic after-dinner malts, BalvenieDoublewood’s extra complexity and richness are a result of a second maturation in fresh sherry casks. Great stuff.

Balvenie 12 Review:

Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood is a young whisky with a lot of character. In fact, the DoubleWood cask strength expression is so aware of itself that the basic 12 year old Doublewood whiskies are not even offered as an option to the DoubleWood cask strength addition. The addition of the additional sherry casks to the basic Doublewood gives the whisky a vibrant and unique character. This whisky is not weak, and not powerful. It is malty, spicy, with a quality that you would expect from a 12 year old whisky. However, the 12 year old Doublewood is missing a certain level of complexity, not in the oak or sherry, but in the malt. The 12 year old Doublewood has a very balanced character. It lacks the layers that a heavily peated whisky has, but it also lacks the sweetness of a heavily dessert-style whiskey.

As mentioned before, Balvenie 12 DoubleWood Cask Strength is a unique addition to the overall experience of this whisky. When I first experienced the DoubleWood cask strength whisky, I prefered the 11 and 12 year old expressions, although they lack the complexity that the 15 and 16 year old DoubleWood, which is the same but made it the DoubleWood Cask Strength by aging it in the whiskey cask. So on its own, it consists of a lot of complexity, and a lot of “green woody” aspect. Overall, it is very enjoyable, especially as a sipper – rich and complex, but still soft and mild. In a way, it is a good “introduction” to the DoubleWood. (Valium) 12 Years and two notches above it, if you are not a huge fan of TripleWood.

Another very important note on the DoubleWood Cask Strength is volume. I strongly advise not to drink this whisky until at least 1.5L. I mean, be patient and sipped it slowly. I managed to shoot this whisky the first time without any issues, but by the second time I started I got a nose full of smoke, which led to a mouthful of it.

Now, of course, you can always pour yourself another glass, but since this whisky is not cheap at all, you should be a little careful and only try it when you are sober and sleepy.

Balvenie 12 Review:

Personally, I tried the 12 year old DoubleWood Cask Strength for the first time when I was on a vacation to Seville, Spain. There, we had a very very good pint of TripleWood 12 years old at the bar in the tourist information center, and since I really liked the flavor, I bought a few shots at the bar for some people I was traveling with. The second our friend got a whiff of the whisky, he said “Oh my god. Is that the same whisky as at the bar in the tourist information center?”, to which we all replied “Yes, that’s the one”.

It is worth mentioning that Balvenie 12 Doublewood Cask Strength also contribute to a very good shot of the 12 year old DoubleWood, so with in the range of 8-9% abv, it is actually a great addition to a nice, mellow tasting single malt.

Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood, is a perfect way to try the 12 years old DoubleWood. If you are interested in the un-aged elements, then there is no better way than the 12 year old Doublewood. While the 15-16 year old peaty expressions are better, the 12 year old Doublewood and the 12-13 year old peaty expressions are very rare and hard to get your hands on.

One of the classic after-dinner malts, BalvenieDoublewood’s extra complexity and richness are a result of a second maturation in fresh sherry casks. Great stuff.

Balvenie Speyside 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky: The Speyside region of Scotland is the home of all heavily peated whiskies, a region that produces the majority of Macallan’s expressions. Balvenie is a very popular distillery that dominates the Speyside region, and dominates it well. Balvenie 12 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky was my first experience with Balvenie, and after seeing the results, I went and bought a bottle or two.