The Balvenie Portwood 21 Year Old
Distillery: The BalvenieStyle: Single Malt
Release: Unspecified
Age: 21 Years
Alcohol: 40% abv.
Region: Scotland, Highlands
Bottled For: Distillery
To create The Balvenie Portwood 21 Year Old, rare 21 Year Old Balvenie - which has been matured in traditional oak casks - is transferred to a port cask, or pipe, which has held fine port wines. Here it is sampled every month by The Balvenie Malt Master to ensure that just the right amount of character is imparted by the port casks, enhancing and developing the single malt, whilst preserving its original characteristics.
Color: Bronze
Nose: slightly peaty, oak wood, fresh honey.
Body: Full bodied, but smooth. creamy
Palate: almond nuts, fresh cream, slight peat. Slight sourness, but lots of floral aromas.
Finish: A pleasant moderate finish. warm.
This whisky is excellent, very smooth, and great with portwood finish, hint of sweetness, but the Doublewood 12 years is slightly better - tastier and gives a wider variety of floral scents.
Color: Dark Straw
Nose: The nose is first floral like Honey Suckle with a hint of fine oiled leather and cooked fruit. Later there is a soft nutty cereal note with some oak tones.
Body: The body is smooth with a medium texture that coats the tongue.
Palate: On the palate the whisky is first sweet like cooked fruit with a hint of spice. The portwood is there in full strength taking control and giving the palate a drier oaky taste.
Finish: The finish is medium duration first on dry oak getting more nutty like pecan shell as it fades, the last note is a hint of the port wine that rested in the barrel prior to Balvenie taking up residence.
An enjoyable dram with good mix of light fruit and floral tones mixing with the heavier oak and cereal notes. The portwood sweetness is there to keep time with the symphony of flavors.