Balvenie 16yo, Triple Cask, 40% abv.

Travel retail exclusive that is matured in refill American oak casks, first-fill bourbon barrels, and first-fill oloroso sherry butts.

Nose: quite fragrant, a little malty, light melon rind, chopped honey dew, a little viney, grapeskin, chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips, the standard ice cream cones at CVS, a combination of green fruits, cooked bread-like foods, and some vegetation which overtakes many of the other aromas with time.

Palate: initial palate has a malty flavor, more herbal, mid palate has some black tea like flavors, dull spices like old stale black pepper, back palate has a spice like cardamon or clove. Gets a little oaky, bitter, and sour with time.

Finish: medium, a little bit of freshly burnt bread and the smoke, tea leaves, slightly earthy. With time it becomes more oaky.

This one is quite fragrant and very good to help start the night. I found it strange I couldn't really taste the classic Balvenie sweetness, but instead got a lot of flavors closer to vines, fruit skins, and fruit rinds. It's an interesting one. Just wish it could keep up with its own profile instead of slowly transforming into a standard oak malt. Had this at Slainte mhath bar in Busan, South Korea.

Grade: C+

Whiskyanalysis.com, 8.57 ± 0.25 on 10 reviews
Whiskyfun.com, Serge, sgp:451, 84 points
Lawhiskeysociety, Ries, C+

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

🇭🇰 🇺🇸(LA, SF) -> 🇯🇵 (京都, 東京) -> 🇰🇷 (서울, 부산)