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    • the balvenie single barrel 15 year old

    The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year Old 78
    Distillery
    The Balvenie
    Style
    Single Malt
    Release
    Unspecified
    Age
    15 Years
    Alcohol
    47.8% abv.
    Region
    Scotland, Highlands
    Bottled For
    Distillery

    The Balvenie Single Barrel Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a 15 year old single malt which is drawn from a single bourbon cask of a single distillation. Each cask forms a limited edition of hand-numbered bottles - there will be a maximum of 350 bottles from any one cask - so each bottle is unique and unrepeatable. Each cask is subtly different, however, The Balvenie Malt Master selects for bottling only those casks that have the essential characteristics of The Balvenie Single Barrel - particularly honey, vanilla and oaky notes.

    review by linusstick

    50
    Color
    medium amber
    Nose
    roasted malt, somewhat earthy with a peppery note
    Body
    Medium bodied, slightly oily.
    Palate
    Nice blend of apple, pear, caramel and slightly peaty. Some oak comes through in the aftertaste.
    Finish
    Quick finish that doesn't linger

    review by coloradodram

    87
    Color
    Old gold/tarnished brass.
    Nose
    Pears, vanilla, oaky bourbon.
    Body
    Medium bodied, nothing notable.
    Palate
    A delicious tingly, vanilla-pepper oak with light fruit and honey. Confirms the nose.
    Finish
    Very warm with peppery aggressiveness but not acidy. Kind of shallow down the pipes but it does last medium long.

    My favorite of the Balvenie front four, this is the one I offer guests who think they are essentially Islay-only types. One sip quickly persuades them to rethink with this delicious dessert Speyside with some peppery grit. A Speyside for Talisker 10 lovers.

    review by anonymous

    91
    Color
    light honey
    Nose
    warm honey and vanilla, moss
    Body
    warm, full bodied
    Palate
    honey, toast, earth and vanilla
    Finish
    medium finish, warming to the end

    excellent 15 year old scotch, this paticular one was aged 17 years according to the notes on the bottle. quite the difference when adding water as opposed to serving neat. water opens it up quite a bit, but i would suggest serving it neat to get a comparison. great addition to the range.

    review by mp

    77
    Color
    Amber, orange
    Nose
    Fruity, Peat, Smoky
    Body
    Medium body,
    Palate
    Honey, Candy, Port,
    Finish
    Very short finish, but warm and sweet till the end

    This is a very sweet Whisky in my opinion, probably best saved for ladies. I think the price is a bit high for what you get --- smooth, but too sweet for a good taste of peat. UPDATE 2/28/2008: Tried a different run of this stuff, It's light, strong without water. It has a long finish, but isn't too interesting. Nose of iodine and some floral tones. Like fresh honey. Rating is still 77.

    review by mdavis

    87
    Color
    light amber
    Nose
    honey, hint of citrus - maybe orange peel, very slight suggestion of smoke
    Body
    full
    Palate
    honey character carries over from the nose with slight citrus, a hint of peat and a bit peppery
    Finish
    nice finish, not overly long

    This is a really nice dram, full bodied, full of honey and a bit of orange with a bit of peat. Not at fruity as the 10 yr. Not exactly cheap, but worth the price.

    review by dramiel mchinson

    76
    Color
    Dark Straw
    Nose
    Some nose tickle here; earthy nose with contrasting fruit and aged cheeses; some toffee, marzipan and hints of coconut
    Body
    Medium body, warming and outh coating
    Palate
    Strong attack at first sip, peppery and warm, gets smoother with a swirl of flavors dominated by beeswax then warm marzipan and roasted marshmellow
    Finish
    Medium finish thats peppery with drier oak notes, a little sweetness lingers with the wax

    I found the cheese notes a little incongruous with the other taste profiles. Overall an interesting dram with a very different palate. Those that like a strong peppery taste will like this one.