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The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old Reviews
- Distillery
- The Balvenie
- Style
- Single Malt
- Release
- Unspecified
- Age
- 12 Years
- Alcohol
- 40% abv.
- Region
- Scotland, Highlands
- Bottled For
- Distillery
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The Balvenie Doublewood Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a 12 year old single malt which gains its distinctive character from being matured in two woods. During its period of maturation The Balvenie Doublewood is transferred from a traditional oak whisky cask to a first fill Spanish oak sherry cask. Each stage lends different qualities to the resulting single malt - the traditional casks, having previously held bourbon, soften and add character, whilst the sherry wood brings depth and fullness of flavour.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
I've been comparing 12 year old Balvenie to 12 year old Glenlivet. They are both good. I feel very fortunate to be able to try them both along with other single malts. I am happy when I can have any of them, none of them are at all bad in my judgment.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Pure, beautiful gold.
- Nose
- Sweet apple, oak, cocoa
- Body
- Smooth - evaporates quickly
- Palate
- Sweet apple with a touch of honey, spicy cinnamon, and a sharp burn.
- Finish
- Long, slow finish. Taste dissipates leaving a loving warmth and insinuation of vanilla.
My very first truly appreciated bottle of scotch. Excellent for a beginner, this dram has opened a new world for an old craft beer hand.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Straight up the middle amber
- Nose
- bourbon, honey, cocoa
- Body
- quick and light
- Palate
- brown sugar, pleasant bitterness
- Finish
- warm and long, sweet, tingly, dry
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Amber
- Nose
- Fresh sweet oak.
- Body
- Thin.
- Palate
- Easy to drink for a first timer, what those sickly sweet bourbons are trying to be and fail so miserably. Warning do not add ice or water or this whisky dissapears into oblivion. Sweet but not sugary very clean taste Oak and sherry flavours make it delicious for anyone except maybe a veteran scotch connoisseur who is probably after something more complex, this is a crowd pleaser. You could have this for breakfast and enjoy it.
- Finish
- Non-existent, the only downfall of this dram. Spring or summer dram.
Great for begginers, or the mass market
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Profdrhabeb
- Color
- Golden Amber
- Nose
- Vanilla bean, cinnamon, spice
- Body
- smooth and silky
- Palate
- Brown sugar, cappuccino, sherry
- Finish
- warming and long
Good everyday whiskey at a great price
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Hespeler
- Color
- Deep Copper
- Nose
- Sweet; vanilla, maple syrup, some apple and a faint hint of oak.
- Body
- Medium-bodied with a pleasant syrupy mouth-feel.
- Palate
- Starts sweet and gives way to dry walnuts. Sherry begins to appear.
- Finish
- Fairly short and warm. Sweets linger for a bit.
Bourbon-like. The American oak is much more influential than the sherry casks in this dram. A satisfying scotch though not too complex.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Honey brown
- Nose
- Citrus and fudge Caramel
- Body
- silky, followed by a the sting of alcohol, then soft warmth
- Palate
- It tastes like christmas
- Finish
- a thick toffee feeling
For Highland /speyside fans who prefer the more subtle and sweet, Balvenie double is great. Always goes down well with guests.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Mr Darcy
- Color
- Gold
- Nose
- Oak, Spice, Fruit, Vanilla
- Body
- Medium
- Palate
- Soft fruit, woody,nutty,vanilla balanced
- Finish
- Long slow fruity balanced nutty mild oaky overtones.
Rich fruited wonderful Speysider
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Nose
- Hardy and sweet
- Body
- Full body
- Palate
- Soft and velvety
- Finish
- Sweet almost like carmel
My favorite, most bang for your buck. Taste like a $200 bottle for a 1/4 of the price. Buy it!
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- light orange
- Nose
- Vanilla
- Body
- Full bodied
- Palate
- 50/50 bar. Sweet vanilla light spice and honey.
- Finish
- Vanilla and honey. Hint of orange? Not very complex. I will stick with my laphroaig and highland park.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- amber honey
- Nose
- sweet malt, honey, vanilla
- Body
- smooth and mellow all the way, creamy texture, cinnamon warmth of the finish that lingers for a while on the palate
- Palate
- the sherry plays a nice role mingled with honey, vanilla, touch of oak, brown spice (I can see the cinnamon), when I leave it on the palate and swirl it around I do get cinnamon – it reminds me of cinnamon toothpick
- Finish
- cinnamon warmth of the finish that lingers for a while on the palate
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Golden caramel
- Nose
- warm honey,maple,light fruity backround.
- Body
- Thick and smooth
- Palate
- Honey,vanilla,very sweet
- Finish
- decent finish with a slight warming but not over powering.
Very sweet
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Light Gold
- Nose
- Gentle honey with a bite.
- Body
- Rich `fullness'.
- Palate
- Tangy, softness, honey, indisputable whisky flavour.
- Finish
- Good long mouth lingering tangy flavour to mellowness.
Just tried this
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Dark gold, nearly copper.
- Nose
- Sweet, Nutty (toasted almonds), light on the peat / smoke. Notes of vanilla, maple, apple, & cinnamon. A touch too much booze.
- Body
- Medium bodied.
- Palate
- Maple syrup, reminiscent of, but not too close to, bourbon dominates. Strong notes of honey & nut support, as if one lightly drizzled pancake syrup over baklava. The nose on exhalation is dominated by dry bakers chocolate.
- Finish
- Medium-short, but still quite spicy.
One of my favorite 12 years, a good deal better than The Balvenie 14 year. May be a bit too bourbon-y for the average scotch drinker, but as a native Kentuckian, I don't mind a bit. Too much alcohol on the nose and too short a finish for a "Great" score, but overall, a very good after dinner drink, and solid value for money at ~$50.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- light caramel
- Nose
- strongly of honey, a bit boozie, lightly spicy
- Body
- smooth and surupy
- Palate
- honey, spice, smokey,slightly peaty, chocolate?
- Finish
- warm lasting and a little alcoholic
this is my favorite whisky in the 50 dollar price range. i try to always have a bottle in my liquor cabnet
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Light caramel color
- Nose
- Honey, citrus, almond, vanilla, maple
- Body
- Medium body
- Palate
- nice balance of woody taste & citrus
- Finish
- Mediun Finish
I agree a little water does open up the bouquet a bit and mellows the bite over the palate.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Chemistry Is Life
- Color
- Coppery gold
- Nose
- Nutmeg, lemon, Sugar cookie, cinnamon, whipped cream, bannana
- Body
- Heavy at first but lightens within a few seconds
- Palate
- Lemon, cherry, almond, pepper, oak, vanilla, nutmeg
- Finish
- Spicy with a hint of peat and smoke. Warms on the way down, sweetens
Nice, but a bit too sharp on the finish. I wouldn't refuse a glass but I won't be paying for another bottle
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by D18085a5a730656ba28533fd0ff9a56e
- Color
- Amber, Dark Gold
- Nose
- Sweet.Moldy leather.Light smoke. Oak
- Body
- Medium body.Great legs.
- Palate
- Warm.Slighty bitter Orange peel.You can taste the Oak
- Finish
- Medium finish.Peppery.
Alittle water does open up the bouquet a bit and mellows the bite over the palate.Neet or with few drops of water it is a very fine Scotch Whisky
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by AdmTom
- Color
- Vivid gold, almost as though you were shining a light through the back of a darker bottle
- Nose
- Very sweet and sugary, almost like cookie dough.
- Body
- Medium-bodied. Thick enough to warrant rolling the sip around for a while, but still thin enough where you can down a glass quick if you need to.
- Palate
- Very sweet up front, but the sweetness fades quickly. After the sweetness fades, there is nothing noteworthy. No obvious flavor influences....just basic sweetness.
- Finish
- Easy finish, doesn't linger as long as most whiskies I've tried. As with my comment on the body, it makes it easier to down a glass if you're in a hurry.
Balvenie DW was somewhat of a let-down for me. I had been looking for a good sweet Speysider for a while, and read several reviews saying DW was just that. It is definitely one of the sweeter whiskies I've tried, but not in a distinctive way -- more of a generic, sugared-whisky way. It's definitely worth drinking, and I wouldn't return a gifted bottle, but it's not something I'd go out of my way to have again.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Amber, light to medium dark
- Nose
- Surprise. Light, fruity, citrus, oak, vanilla. Also a strange wood smell resemblant of the smell of Martin guitars. Smoke is hardly noticeable, but overall a highly interesting nose.
- Body
- Light.
- Palate
- Vanilla, citrus, chocolate, oak. Very pleasant and light.
- Finish
- Almost non-existent. Disappointment.
Certainly an interesting and pleasant whisky with a fantastic nose, but overall disappointing for the price tag.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Sideburns
- Color
- Apple cider.
- Nose
- Creamy vanilla. Sweet. Strong alcohol.
- Body
- Medium body.
- Palate
- Some spicyness. Sweet like bourbon.
- Finish
- Short dry finish.
Smells and tastes too much like bourbon for my liking. Kinda like Highland Park 12 yo. I prefer Aberlour 12 yo or Abunadh over this. Lacks complexity. Boring. In case 'for peat' sake' posts this on another dram (which they do sometimes); this review is for The Balvenie Doublewood 12 yo.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Amber
- Nose
- hint of oak
- Body
- full bodied
- Palate
- a sweet woody taste
- Finish
- very nice finish
A very fine smooth Scotch with a hint of fruit & vanilla
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Eye-lah Guy
- Color
- Medium cream amber in the glass
- Nose
- Green apple and vanilla almond
- Body
- Light
- Palate
- Grains swarm the palate at first, then port subtly introduces itself; fine balance
- Finish
- Somewhat stingy on finish, which is warm, but too mild-mannered
A quality whisky--if the finish would present more aggressively, it could be great...
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Nikolai
- Color
- deep copper
- Nose
- vanilla, caramel, citrus, orange peels, love hearts, cotton candy, lemons, very fruity and sweet,
- Body
- mid bodied, creamy, light,
- Palate
- Vanilla, warm applesauce, caramel, sweetsour and toffee. By adding water it becomes very fruity, lemons and oranges.
- Finish
- mid finish, warm. Adding water kills the finish a bit.
Be very careful with adding water
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- honey/amber/caramel
- Nose
- light peat and earthy tones
- Body
- medium very smooth body
- Palate
- a nice sweat twang with hints of sherry and light peat
- Finish
- the finish of this whiskey is great. Sherry undertones that melt into fading hints of vanilla and citrus
For the money it does not get much better then this whiskey. A great whiakey thats easy to drink and easy on the wallet. Enjoy.. I know I will again..and..again..and ..again
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Rich, honey/amber gold
- Nose
- Honey, citrus, almond, vanilla, maple
- Body
- Chewy, yet light. Coats the mouth with an almost honey like glaze.
- Palate
- Warm apple, caramel and brown sugar, sweet and spicy flavor that sticks to the roof of your mouth. Much better without water which it doesn't take well. Needs its thickness to hang around and let flavors develop.
- Finish
- Moderate finish - a little warming but not much. Drier than I expected. But barely any finish with water. Drink it neat.
A very drinkable, flavorful dram that brings a smile to your face. A great scotch for kicking back by the fire on a cold winter's day.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- GOLD
- Nose
- VANILLA, OAK, SLIGHT HINT OF SMOKE, PEAT, HONEY, TOFFEE, SOME CITRUS
- Body
- MEDIUM BODIED
- Palate
- HONEY, SHERRY, LIGHT PEAT, SMOKE, OAK, SPICEY, PEPPER
- Finish
- A VERY DRY MEDIUM FINISH
ROBBIE
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by ChadDavis
- Color
- Light Copper, Honey Color
- Nose
- Mysterious, Cedar, cotton, Orange Rind.
- Body
- Thin to medium Bodied, astringent, decent legs.
- Palate
- Orange Rind, Honey and mild pepper. Very easy to drink and a bit sweet
- Finish
- Short Finish, mild burn, very pleasant, sweet and peppery.
This is an easy Scotch to drink, great for introducing people to single malts. It has a sherry/Speyside profile that you should expect. It is a delicious whiskey. I took it neat in a snifter. Fruit and flowers, easy to drink. It had little to no burn, it is very smooth like a high end bourbon. Water ruins this scotch. Drink it neat.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Insinuendo
- Color
- Light amber, caramel color
- Nose
- On the nose some hints of maple and toffee.
- Body
- Beautiful viscosity ’causing it to tear, nice legs.
- Palate
- A nice mouthfeel.
- Finish
- Medium length.
Was my malt of choice when I began indulging.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Linusstick
- Color
- Medium amber
- Nose
- Nice mix of peat and light fruit with a hint of earthiness
- Body
- Thick and a tad oily
- Palate
- Iodine, light fruit, big malt profile with the sherry becoming noticeable early
- Finish
- Goes from sweet to tart then a nice warming finish- a lot going on in this whisky
A delicious and full flavored whisky
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- dark gold
- Nose
- vanilla,toffee, caramel a little wood
- Body
- creamy,med-full
- Palate
- honey, hot spicey, litte vanilla and a taste I cant describe maybe it's the sherry
- Finish
- same as palate, short to mediun length
very good for the 12 yo range and price. Sister Co. to glenfiddich. Quite of bit better than the 15 yr. Fiddich. will purchase again
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by ColoradoDram
- Color
- Golden orange, amber.
- Nose
- Floral (roses), sherry, dry nuts (if you can smell dry...).
- Body
- Thin, astringent.
- Palate
- Flowers, red wine, minty oak.
- Finish
- Very dry, medium length, oaky afterbreath.
This is a nice value and consistent floral 12 year, but rather simple. I still prefer the 15 year single barrel, which is only $10 U.S. more - spring for it.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- gold
- Nose
- Sweet, fresh apple. Sugary, with citrus fruit.
- Body
- Full, syrupy.
- Palate
- Honey, raisins, sherry-sweetness, vanilla, apple.
- Finish
- Long. Again some apple, vanilla, honey.
Pleasant, fruity whisky. Certainly doesn't need any water. Great honeyish flavour development. Crowd pleaser because of its sweetness. I like this one for dessert.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by WhiteGhost
- Color
- Carmel
- Nose
- Sweat maple smell
- Body
- Full bodied from start to finish
- Palate
- Starts with a sweet taste one the front with hints of maple and fades with a smokey, slightly peaty finish
- Finish
- Smokey finish fades so slowly it seems like it will last indefinately
A good, distinctive, fun scotch that pears well with a full bodied cigar.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Mishima
- Color
- Glowing clover honey
- Nose
- Honey and vanilla predominate on an even bed of maltiness and side of fruit. If you get curious and patient (give it 15 minutes in your glass) it will open up some flowery perfume, a whiff of sherry, smoke, and peat.
- Body
- To the heavy side of medium.
- Palate
- Integrates well with the nose, that is mostly honey and malt, but without any syrupiness.
- Finish
- Fairly long and rather acidic, here the vaunted sherry makes itself finally a salient addition with a lingering spice - one that will stay in your mouth for upwards of an hour.
This is a well constructed rather straightforward Speyside whisky. If you are looking for a well sherried whisky, look elsewhere. Yet for a shoulder season malt - late spring or late summer - this is a fine bottle to savour.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Rich Gold
- Nose
- Toffee Apples,Burnt Sugar,Go Deep for Slight peat and Nuttiness
- Body
- Thick,Creamy and Coating.
- Palate
- Tangy and Slight Peat add water for Hints of Vanilla and Sherry,Very Sweet
- Finish
- Sherry Beings to fade with slight peat then smooth sweetness comes back.Long and Satisfying
An Extremely Fantastic Malt, Enjoy long summer nights in your garden with this one... A must have!
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Nattefrost
- Color
- Pale, rosy gold.
- Nose
- Grass, oak, vanilla. A touch of water opens up honeysuckle, caramel, and fruit notes.
- Body
- Creamy, but not too thick. Hot and tingly in the mouth.
- Palate
- Strong notes of vanilla and oak greet the palate at first, with subtler grassy, fruity, floral flavors revealing themselves as the whisky rolls around the mouth.
- Finish
- A long finish with flavors of oak and walnuts. Warming and earthy, with a very faint medicinal note to it.
Incredible. This is a highly enjoyable dram. In my opinion, it needs a touch of water to open it up, but with just a touch, it truly shines. The Doublewood never overwhelms, but delights the palate with its array of flavors. Highly recommended.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Eddie
- Color
- Gold with a slight tint of rose
- Nose
- A field full of flowers and grass, also a boozy fruit smell,nice.
- Body
- Medium and coating
- Palate
- Hint of Sherry sweetness, flowers berries, spices and sort of a fruit bread taste, again nice.
- Finish
- Medium finish, and a lot of the flavor stayed around, made you want more.
I liked this whisky, It wasn't over done. It had a lot of flavor but wasn't to pushy. Just a very nice clean taste...
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Mandrake
- Color
- Caramel
- Nose
- Honeysuckle, vanilla, bit of oak. Lightly smoked.
- Body
- Medium bodied.
- Palate
- Sherry and light peat. Hint of smoke. Not all that complex, but pleasant.
- Finish
- Short finish, warm but fleeting.
Not bad at all. Doesn't overwhelm or strike with awe, but it's very pleasant and a worthwhile single malt.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by MP
- Color
- Copper
- Nose
- slightly peaty, honey, and fruits. Let it sit with some water for a few minutes and take in the scent of toffee. Hint of sherry.
- Body
- Moderate body. oily
- Palate
- woody, flowers. hint of almond nuts. hint of liquorice.
- Finish
- Long finish, balanced.
This one needs water, once added you have a pleasant toffee scent, honey and fruits. A slight liquorice taste. Quite sweet, well balanced. This one is fantastic, and felt better than the 21 year old Portwood. I'm very impressed with this whisky, it's one of the best!
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Red Hare
- Color
- Amber, tinge of pink
- Nose
- Oak, vanilla and caramel. Orange peel, orange marmalade. A hint of raspberry syrup.
- Body
- Medium body, expands in the mouth, turns watery.
- Palate
- Sweet sour. Vanilla, lots of toffee. Lavender. Plenty of sherry notes.
- Finish
- Medium finish. Caramel covered peanuts. Sherry notes laced with burnt sugar.
Spring garden, fruiting orchard - wrong time of the year to drink this! Definitely an early summer / late spring dram. Very nice indeed.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Mdavis
- Color
- Amber
- Nose
- Some sherry and citrus - typical of Balvenie house style. Very slight hint of smoke.
- Body
- Good balance. Moderately full bodied.
- Palate
- Somewhat complex when allowed to stand in the glass for a while. Smoke disappears to sherry, citrus, a bit of peat.
- Finish
- Slight burn.
This is one of the better values in the Balvenie stable. Not my favorite of the bunch, but a repeat because of the price.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Sfaulk
- Color
- Deep amber
- Nose
- Wood, Smoke, Some kind of fruit, Vanilla
- Body
- Dry, Light, Full flavoured
- Palate
- Wood, Smoke
- Finish
- Medium long, A zing in the beginning that gradually goes away.
Recommend.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Fyoder
- Color
- gold
- Nose
- smoke, leather, fruit
- Body
- medium, silky
- Palate
- aqueous, peat, smoke, salt, well balanced
- Finish
- crescendo, then long warm fade
Nothing really stands out much as exceptional, just nice all around.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Saul
- Color
- Honey
- Nose
- Hot, Citrusy
- Body
- Medium, Sweet
- Palate
- Tangy, Peat smoke and Sherry in very small amounts.
- Finish
- A hot finish, mostly in the mouth. Lasts for some time.
Not all that complex. A bit on the sour side, but well balanced, otherwise. More peat and sherry with water.
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old
Review by Colin
- Color
- Burnt umber
- Nose
- Lots of oak, Peat, Slight vanilla, Spice, Candied ginger.
- Body
- Flavourful, Hot, Medium body.
- Palate
- Mellow peat, Pepper, Candied apple, Oak, Spice.
- Finish
- Long and slow. Lots of development. Flavours fade and pepper grows.
I was at first less impressed by this whisky, but upon second tasting, I'm finding new things. It has a delicious fruit character. The sherry is really ringing through. It's like a candied apple. Slightly too tarte, but that's really nit picking. Delicious.