Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve revisited some bottles that have long sat on the WU shelves and yet have somehow never posted about them properly.
Whilst there are multiple variants of The Balvenie, their core range consists of four cask finish releases with these two have remained the two consistent stalwarts at reasonable prices. Their 16yo French Oak and 21yo PortWood obviously weigh in with a higher price tag due to a) their extra maturity and b) the rarer casks involved (pineau wine and port casks respectively) with the elder statesman carrying with it many accolades.
Whilst the older two have been out of my reach to date, what I’ve been able to do recently is reacquaint myself with these two and enjoy a little compare and contrast exercise.
Nose
The 12yo seems much richer, more impactful and rounded. The Sherry heft brings more weight that the Caribbean rum seems to – despite the extra years in the cask on the 14yo.
Taste
It is really noticeable that they both have the same bourbon base in there with the vanilla and toffee notes but the 12yo errs towards darker fruits (and not massively) whilst the 14yo has that lighter and sweeter notes albeit also not overtly tropical when tasted side by side. They both have an underlying malted milk biscuit profile that’s probably testament to the original malted barley and base spirit that they make onsite. The 12yo gives a fuller tasting experience whilst the 14yo is more clear cut with that an emphasis on the sweeter fruitier experience. It’s like picking between white sugar and muscovado sugar. They’re both sugar but it’s which direction you want to take it.
Finish
The 12yo gives out more and fire and fruit, whilst the 14yo seems to gently simmer away. The 12yo seems much more oaky too, despite its shorter stint in a cask – presumably from the drier oloroso sherry cask influence.
Verdict
Both have a silky texture and mellow body whose final cask maturation just takes them in slightly different directions. Only by tasting side by side do I appreciate the good base malt that they’re based on and then how the final casks have given a final flourish. Neither are overpowered by their respective cask either. I’ve had some rum aged whisky that have gone too far the other way and almost seem like whisky flavoured rums.
Whilst they are both good at what they do, at their price point and the difference between them, I’d probably pick the 12yo for the fact that it has a fuller taste. It sort of forces you take a step back and appreciate the influences more than the rum cask. That said, the 14yo offers something a bit more different and I must say that they are both really quality malts.
I mentioned in my post about the 12yo that it’s such a quality malt that it almost stands to be boring compared to the mad variety of cask finishes that are available these days. Then again, sometimes you’ve just got to come back to the favourites and rediscover why they became so in the first place. Particularly with the 12yo being the OG for being marketed for its cask finish.
M
Dram Disclosure: I have bought these bottles separately out of my own pocket. No promo or agenda. Just an honest, independent, and fair review of the whiskies side by side, and a revisit to some staples. Please drink responsibly. Please drink wisely.
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