Mark Adams
A highly thought of 30 year old from Balvenie that netted a Gold Medal at the 2010 International Spirits Challenge and a 90 points from Serge Valentin on Whisky fun.
Ladle of Contents
Balvenie 30 Review:
Tasting Notes
Nose: Here we see an impact of two types of casks. Some present a sweet honeyed green notes with a subtle vanilla undertone while others have more of a burnt sugar. The main underlying impression is that of honey, either raw or caramelised. This is a rich toffee that has subtle peppery sides.
Palate: The finish has a hit of honey that shows sweetness left from the nose and that hits a wall of smoke and salt.
Finish: The smoke is powerful and the lingering finish provides a slow burn of honey and peat with some bitterness.
Balvenie 30 Review:
A mature, rich whisky that has an intense honey/toffee nose. A deep, sharp peat front and a mellow, honey afterwards. Incredibly complex. 92 – 96 points.
Balance: Good. Spice and smoke.
Spice: Peppery touch of hot spices.
Peat Scent: A nose of peaty smoke that will surprise the advanced nose of theBalvenie 30 Year Old and for those that like to keep their whisky reading at this level.
The balance is good here and captures the sweet and sour nature of its older brother with spice and smoke.
Balvenie 30 Review:
An intense, rich and complex whisky with a wide range of flavours from honey to peat and even pepper. The best of the Balvenie’s older expressions.
Water: No real difference
Nose: Taste: A highly applied swirl of honey and tobacco.
Balvenie 30 Review:
A complex whisky with an intense nose that fades to reveal chocolate, leather and a sweet, honey sweetness.
Nose: A nose of rich honey that has a sweet, vanilla undertone that mingles with a subtle peat. The influence of these two greatly colour the whisky. The whisky itself is honey-sweet with a little pepper and a touch of lemon. The best of wines and spirits.
Palate: The palate is honey and sweetness with a pinch of pepper and a slight hint of what might be vanilla, but isn’t. The finish has a honey and smoke sweetness that finishes with a sensational touch of tomato. Amazing.
Finish: The finish is short but incredibly sweet that lingers for some time. The sweetness lingers with a burn of honey that will leave you a little tipsy.
Balance: Very good. Spice and smoke that just seems to add to the sweetness.
Spice: A spice like nutmeg, green pepper and a hint of cinnamon.
Peat Scent: A peat-smoke-honey-salt nose that finishes with a hit of sweet honey.
Balvenie 30 Review:
A rich, sweet and complex whisky that is not too hot or too sickly. It’s rich, like the Doublewood, but tasty.
Balance: Good
Spice: A twist of heat that balances the sweetness.
Peat Scent: A nose of sweet honey that has hues of peat for a back to it.
Balvenie 30 Review:
It tastes great and the Balvenie 30 is an experience all in itself, but it’s fairly mild for all the characteristics that come with it. This is the Balvenie whisky that I’ve enjoyed the most and I’ve had the pleasure of tasting this as well.
Nose: Taste: A honey-pepper nose shows a plum and spice underneath it. We get a touch of ripe tomatoes and honey sweetened smoke that is incredible. Lasts for a reasonable length of time.
Balance: Very good
Spice: There is a hit of pepper that helps to balance the sweetness.
Peat Scent: A hint of peat and that touch of sweet honey.
Bell’Aro Way
The tasting notes:
Nose: We are greeted with the always expected notes of honey, vanilla and chocolate, with scents of pipe tobacco, whiskey and rich vanilla.
Palate: Overwhelmingly sweet, fruity, smoky and perfumed. Leather, sweet tobacco and vanilla. Spice and toffee. A very rich and unbalanced taste that does not suit the more advanced tastes.
Finish: Nasty lingering sweets that slowly fade away to leave a heavy, sickly aftertaste.
Overall: Horrendous taste that is too sweet for all but the youngest of tastes. A terrible choice for a whisky as good as Glenfiddich Younger.
Balance: Good
Spice: A tale of spice, sweetness and very fine notes of honey, vanilla, tobacco and toffee.
Peat Scent: A hit of peat and leather and a generic leather smoke flavour.
The tasting notes:
Nose: Sticky sweet honey with a deep red fruit aroma. Strong scents of sherry and mint mixed with gentle notes of vanilla, hay and tobacco. Some hints of peat, peonies, leather and mint.
Palate: Sweet and full on the palate, yet with sherry and oak in the back. The finish is honey, sherry, tobacco and peppery elements. This whisky shows several dimensions and the fruits are subtle and balanced.
Finish: Sweet, honey, chocolate, sherry and oak.
Balance: Very good.
Spice: A subtle and balanced blend of spice and wood.
Peat Scent: A hint of peat and tobacco, some mint and smoking.
Taste of Whisky: A rich sherry and honey taste.
