2018 signals the 25th anniversary of The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky.

This milestone is not only a testament to those who have dedicated their livelihood to creating Balvenie the handcrafted way but to the skill of their Malt Master who has changed the nature of Scotch, work which earned him an MBE in 2016.

DoubleWood 12 was created using a technique designed by Malt Master David Stewart known as 'wood finishing'.

To create 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 transfers it to Spanish oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks for an extra 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”.

The Balvenie DoubleWood single malt whisky gains its signature character from being matured in two different wood types. Each stage lends different qualities to the resulting single malt whisky.

The traditional casks soften and add delicate character, the sherry wood bringing depth and fullness of flavor and the final few months in tuns allow the whiskies to marry harmoniously.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE: Sweet fruit and Oloroso sherry notes, layered with honey and vanilla.

TASTE: Smooth and mellow with beautifully combined flavours ~ nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness and a delicately proportioned layer of sherry.

FINISH: Long and Warming

Balvenie DoubleWood is, to not much surprise, aged in two kinds of oak casks! It was firstly matured in refill American oak casks before it was treated to a finish in first fill European oak Oloroso sherry butts for an additional nine months. The expression was launched in 1993, and has become a somewhat iconic bottling over the years. Even at 12 years old, this rich and complex dram is an excellent example of what the Balvenie distillery can craft.