Balvenie 12 YO Single Barrel First Fill

Balvenie 12 YO Single Barrel First Fill, 47,8 %

We are seeing more releases from Balvenie distillery in Norway now. This is great, I think. Balvenie was an early favourite of mine when I first started exploring whisky in the late 1990s. Today I am looking more closely at the Balvenie 12 YO Single Barrel First Fill which was first released in 2013. The concept here is a bit similar to what you have with Blanton's bourbon whiskey, where each bottle being drawn from a single cask. All bottles are hand-numbered and labelled with the cask number. My sample came from cask #2011, bottle 110. The casks used for this product are all 1st fill bourbon barrels.

From what I hear the Balvenie 12 YO Single Barrel First Fill will be released in Norway later this year. You can also pick it up online in the UK at around GBP 50.

Nose: Delicate and sweet nose. Coconut, vanilla, ripe banana, soft maltiness, a touch of barley sweetness, soft spices and a sprinkling of oakiness.

Taste: Rich and slightly oily mouthfeel. Honey, white pepper, coconut, peanut oil, vanilla (lots of), and a touch of oak again.

Finish: Medium long finish. Summer fruits, soft spices and runny honey run the show on the finish.

Comments: A soft and comforting dram.

Score (85/100)

Image from Master of Malt.

Sláinte! - Thomas