There is a handful of bottles the whole whisky world uses as a yardstick, and DoubleWood is one of them. It was not the first whisky to see two cask types, but it was the one that made the rest of Scotland understand why that was a good idea.
The expert's description
Balvenie 12 DoubleWood is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky matured in American oak casks, finished in Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 40 %.
DoubleWood is David Stewart's work. He was Malt Master at Balvenie for more than five decades and was already experimenting in the 1980s with moving fully matured whisky into a second cask type for the final months. Today the method is called cask finishing and almost everyone uses it, but DoubleWood from 1993 was the release that put it on the map.
The first nine to twelve years are spent in traditional American oak casks, which give vanilla, honey and a light, creamy texture. The whisky then moves into European Oloroso sherry casks for roughly nine months, and that is where the raisin, orange peel and spice arrive. The parcels are finally married in a large tun before bottling.
Tasting notes
Nose
Honey and dried fruit first, then vanilla, cinnamon and a note of orange peel. A light nutty warmth sits underneath it all.
Palate
Round and soft with raisin, spiced oak and vanilla sweetness. The sherry influence is clear but never heavy, and the malt holds the balance the whole way.
Finish
Medium and warm with spiced sweetness and a last breath of sherry and oak.
Specifications
Name: Balvenie 12 år DoubleWood
Distillery: Balvenie
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak casks, finished in Oloroso sherry casks
EAN no.: 5010327505138
Flavour profile
Sherry matured · Honeyed · Fruity · Soft · Spiced
Did you know?
Balvenie is one of very few Scottish distilleries with its own barley field, its own floor maltings, its own cooper and its own coppersmith on site. Roughly a tenth of the malt is still turned on the distillery own floors.
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