Saturday, February 14, 2009

Balvenie 21 year old Port Wood

Balvenie 21 year old PortWood
Bottled by: Distillery
ABV: 43%
Other: Aged in American oak and finished in port pipes.
Region: Highlands (Speyside)
Price: $150 (now, was about $80 when purchased)
Availability: Readily available

I am a fan of Balvenie's malts. Their DoubleWood is an excellent value and the single barrel 15y is complex and interesting. The port wood is aged 21 years, mostly in "whisky oak" which is Scottish for American oak and finished in port pipes (barrels)

Tasting Notes
Color
medium-dark gold
Nose
sweet, syrupy, some oak influence
Flavor
medium-full bodied, Nice complexity on the front end, some syrupy notes followed by a fairly warm, oaky finale.
Finish
long, but a bit hot
Rating
88

Overall impression and notes: Tasted as part of the "Port Wood Showdown". This malt has a lot going for it - the nose was very interesting and the palate entry is rich and sweet, but utlimately the mid-palate and finish failed to propel this malt to the next level. Quite enjoyable, but there are better values out there. Also, the port-wood influence on this malt is certainly less distinguishable than the Glenmorangie.

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