Balvenie 12 Year Doublewood 40%
$102.99
Bottled at 40% the Balvenie Double Wood is matured in ex-Bourbon casks before finising in Oloroso sherry casks for 9 months. The whisky is then married in tuns for 3-4 months before bottling.
Producer Description
"DoubleWood 12 was launched in 1993, using a process designed by our Malt Master David Stewart in 1982, now commonly known as 'wood finishing'. To make The Balvenie DoubleWood, David Stewart MBE takes whisky that has spent at least 12 years in traditional whisky casks, American Oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads, and moves it to Spanish oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks for an additional nine months. The whisky is then transferred to large oak vessels called “tuns” for 3-4 months to allow the whiskies from individual casks to “marry”.'
Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch
$61.99
This Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is produced by William Grant & Sons, owners of Glenfiddich, Balvenie, and Kininvie distilleries. Monkey shoulder is a blend of the three malts bottled at 43%.
About Monkey Shoulder: One day, our legendary Malt Master David Stewart decided to create the world’s first 'triple' malt, by combining single malts from three of Speyside’s finest distilleries. Why's it so mellow?: Well, for starters, there’s not a single drop of grain whisky in our Monkey Shoulder, and the chosen malts mature in first fill ex-bourbon casks. Our own coopers repair these ex-bourbon casks so that they impart a smooth and mellow vanilla flavour into the resting malt whisky. And then, there's Brian Kinsman who's our new Master now. He always chooses the right combination of casks for every batch he makes, ensuring each one is deliciously smooth and rich as the last. The three Speyside malts are then blended together in a small marrying tun where they hang out making eyes at each other for anything from three to six months.
What is Monkey Shoulder?: The term 'monkey shoulder' harks back to our whisky making heritage. It’s a reference to a condition that maltmen sometimes picked up while working long shifts, turning the barley by hand. It had a tendency to cause their arm to hang down a bit like a monkey’s, so they nicknamed it 'monkey shoulder'.
Balvenie 25 Year Old 48%
$1,379.99
The latest 25 year old offering from the venerable Balvenie Distillery also comes with a brand new, slightly higher price. Though not too high, at least. This quarter century single malt has been carefully put together by the legendary David Stewart. Bottled at 48%.
Producer Description
"To craft The Balvenie Twenty-Five, David carefully chose some of The Balvenie’s rarest Traditional American and European Oak casks to create the special tasting profiles designed for the range. These single malt whiskies had matured for twenty-five years and were handpicked to complete the layers of flavor envisioned. The two casks were then married together in the brand’s Traditional Oak Tuns for just the right amount of time to become one sophisticatedly simplistic expression."
Cadenhead Original Burnside 28 Year
$328.49
This is a teaspooned Blended Malt - like originally distilled at Balvenie distillery and then "teaspooned with a small amount of Glenfiddich or Kininvie to ensure it cannot be sold or identified as Balvienie, or called a single malt any longer. It was distilled in 1996 and bottled after 28 years at 46%.
From Cadenhead's Website
Burnside*, created by William Grant & Sons, is what’s known as a ‘teaspooned’ malt. This blended malt displays notes of old leather books, gorse bushes, papaya and golden syrup. Superbly balanced with an abundance of flavour throughout.
*This is not a distillery name, Cadenhead's owns the trademark for the name "Burnside"
Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask
$154.99
The Balvenie 14 Year has been a staple for the core range for some time now. Bottled at 43% the 14 is a smooth and decadent Balvenie finished in Caribbean rum casks!
Producer Description
"The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 year old single malt whisky has been matured in traditional oak whisky casks for 14 years, and then ‘finished’ in casks that previously held Caribbean rum. To create the ideal finish Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE filled American oak casks with his own blend of select West Indian rums. When he judged the casks to be ready, the rum was replaced with the 14 year old spirit and the wood was put to work adding the final touches."
Balvenie 14 Year The Week of Peat
$254.99
The second release in the Balvenie Stories is the Week of Peat, a 14 year old single malt made from a run of heavily peated barley. Almost certainly matured in American oak, though that is not specified. 48.3%.
Producer Description
"Eager to experiment with The Balvenie profile using what he had learnt from a recent trip to Islay, distillery manager Ian Millar ordered a batch of Speyside peat for the kiln. For a week a year, The Balvenie distills a batch of peated malt, resulting in a whisky rich in honey, vanilla and citrus notes with an extra layer of delicate smokiness."