I will admit, I made a conscious effort to seek out a bottle of the Single Barrel 15 Sherry Cask from a first fill barrel, and the deep mahogany color of the liquid combined with the rich fruit forward nose would suggest I succeeded in this task. amber in color; standard classic Balvenie tin with lots of info included, some sulphur notes immediately jump out, rubber, spent gunpowder – had to let it sit for a while before tasting – honey cereal underneath with some dried fruits, definitely no sherry bomb (WJ); sulphur – but some sweet sherry manages to come through if left to sit uncovered, a touch funky – like a struck match, rubber, not altogether pleasant (JR), hope the taste can overcome the nose, sulphur/rubber notes linger, some honeyed malt pushes through at the end, a touch of barrel char with some fruity notes buried behind, water does not diminish the sulphur note (WJ); sulphur, musty, bitter but syrupy feel, some spice, better than nose but not great (JR), medium length (not that you want it to go very long), a touch of oak – still get sulphur (WJ); medium-long, some spice again, not special (JR). The Sherry Cask variant was launched in 2014 alongside the 25 year old Traditional oak single barrel, showcasing the two cask varieties that contribute to its famous DoubleWood expressions. Well, cheer up, because we have good news: it’s been replaced by The Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15 Year Old. At the San Francisco World Spirits Competitions from 2006–2012, its 15-year single barrel received: gold, silver, gold, silver, and double gold medals. How did the Proper Pour Whisk(e)y Club rate this bottle you may ask, if you have followed some of our other write-ups? .(JR). If nothing else, this proves the hit and miss element of single barrel purchases – especially when finishing is involved (WJ); I just cannot get past the feeling of having lit a match from the sulphur on the nose and taste. Cheers and may your single barrel picks prove more fruitful (pun intended) than this one. Registered in Scotland. Unfortunately, we can't ship to PO Boxes and APO addresses. _taboola.push({ 14: More Blood, More Tracks– Deluxe Edition which includes every available iteration of Dylan’s songs on my all-time favorite Dylan album Blood on the Tracks from 1975. New subscribers get $5! So far we have rated 239 whiskies and this bottle ranks #239 – yes, last place with a 65 point average amongst six different tasters. As always – the notes you see below were written and the bottle scored prior to any discussion by Jeremy and me of what we nosed, tasted, or felt overall, about the dram in consideration. European oak Oloroso sherry butt: 31 Oct 1972: 1990: 2790: European oak Oloroso sherry butt: 03 Oct 1990: 1990: 7359: First fill American oak bourbon barrel: 01 May 1990: 1997: 7951: European oak port puncheon: 06 Aug 1997: 2001: 9328: European oak Pedro Ximénez sherry butt: 25 Apr 2001 Each is also hand-numbered and labelled with the cask reference number. It is a bottle similar to the Chivas Regal 12 year bottle. Today, Balvenie Distillery, situated in the Speyside region of Scotland, remains one of the most independent and prestigious distilleries in all of Scotland. The sixth and final review in our series on The Balvenie Distillery is The Balvenie 15-Year Old Single Barrel Sherry Cask. The 15 year old Single Barrel Sherry Cask is the second release in The Balvenie’s new Single Barrel range – following on from the 12 year old Single Barrel First Fill. Balvenie 15, Single Barrel (47.8%; sherry cask 4453; from a sample received in a swap) Nose: Rich sherry with raisins, dried orange peel, leather, pencil lead and just a bit of beef stock. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; This Balvenie 15 year is aged entirely in an ex-Oloroso sherry butt. 43% vol 700 ml. This is exclusively matured in first-fill bourbon casks and each bottle is part of a batch that is at most 300 bottles - all taken from the same cask. And I really like sherried whiskies. target_type: 'mix' This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Released in 2013, Balvenie's Single Barrel First Fill was matured in first-fill bourbon casks for at least 12 years before bottling. A butt is a type of cask standard for aging sherry, approximately 475-500 liters. Balvenie’s 15 year old Single Barrel Sherry Cask was launched in 2014, following on from the distillery’s Single Barrel First Fill 12 year old which was unveiled the previous year. Our scores have adjusted slightly as we have bounced back-and-forth on how to score it and I think we arrived at a fair representation of this single barrel. Copper auburn color. Registered office: The Balvenie Maltings, Dufftown, Banffshire, AB55 4BB. The term ‘Single Barrel’ conveys the unique nature of the single malt whisky, which has been drawn from a single cask of a single distillation. This is exclusively matured in first-fill bourbon casks and each bottle is part of a batch that is at most 300 bottles - all taken from the same cask. This will give us the benchmark of the whisky without the myriad of finishes or tampering that some releases can receive. sherry casks. The Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel Single Malt Scotch Whisky Sherry Cask, Skip to the beginning of the images gallery, Real email address is required to social networks. THE BALVENIE 15 YEAR OLD SINGLE BARREL SHERRY CAK. So, we end our Balvenie reviews with the lowest rated bottle of the grouping. Following distillation, The Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel Single Malt Scotch Whisky Sherry Cask is matured for a minimum of 15 years exclusively in a single European oak sherry butt. Aroma of honey, cherry, raisins and dried figs. Only registered users can write reviews. Shop Balvenie 15 Yr Single Barrel Sherry Cask at the best prices. These are released in batches of no larger than 800 bottles from a single cask, each one being hand numbered. AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, PA, RI, SC, TX, WA, WI. Please. The 15 year old Single Barrel is part of what the distillery now calls its Connoisseur Range, and is elevated slightly above their core portfolio in prestige. This gives each whisky a different taste. All rights reserved. Like its predecessor, this release is bottled at 47.8% ABV is is non-chill filtered. Nose: Syrupy honey up front, with floral notes, sweet apples, toasted oats and coconut. Please enter your email address below to create account. The 15-year maturation in a cask that has previously held Oloroso sherry creates a single malt characterized by dried fruit richness, nuttiness and spice. So on to the review and the challenges this bottle presents. To experience a true Balvenie then we have no option but to turn to an official release. Last time we spent some time with the The Balvenie 14 Year Old Peat Week (2003 Vintage) – a favorite of both Jeremy and I. The latest release from Balvenie is this 15 year old expression which has spent its entire life in former sherry casks. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. The BALVENIE DISTILLERY COMPANY LIMITED. Limited by nature, each heavily toasted European oak Oloroso sherry butt will yield no more than 800 bottles of Scotch whisky. Balvenie Single Barrel 12, 15 Sherry & 25: TWE Show Report ... Fruity, malty, some light Sherry, probably 2nd fill, cask char. Not a whole lot of development past that at first—the orange maybe gets a … Bottle in new condition. Sign up to be the first one to learn about upcoming exclusive deals and new collections! A 2013 addition to The Balvenie's range, as a younger sibling to the 15 Year Old single cask. LOT No. Tasting Notes (3) Some oak too behind it all. I will note here that Balvenie does not list whether the bottlings are first-fill, second-fill, etc. IWA : 1811152 Guide Price: €150-€200 Its Portwood Cask Finish 21 year won double gold in 2012—the last year it was rated in that competition. After this experience I think I will try and taste the particular barrel of the 15 Year Old Single Barrel Sherry Cask before spending a Benjamin plus on another bottle. The latest new whisky from them to hit our shelves is the Balvenie 12 year old Single Barrel First Fill. Many fans of the series do note however, and I’ve experienced through further research in local stores myself, that you can tell the difference between the 1st fill and 2nd fill versions of the whisky. A limited-edition 17-year-old Balvenie released in 2007, matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks. Company number: SC138003. It also has a 15 year age statement and that it's a single barrel sherry cask edition. Don’t drink and drive. The former release is something I will tackle another day. He now works in public school education, is married with three children, and leads the monthly Proper Pour Whisk(e)y Club. I might have just had an off day. Before we started I thought this would be one of my favorites, but those honors were taken by the two Peat Week variants scoring 90 and 91.5 respectively for the 2002 and 2003 vintages. Although no two casks are the same, and therefore won't produce an identical single malt, the casks are carefully selected by Balvenie's Malt … Some Balvenie offerings have received awards at spirits ratings competitions. Balvenie 16 Triple Cask – review. For a little background on this bottling from The Balvenie Distillery: The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask has been matured exclusively in a single European oak sherry butt for at least 15 years. Explore thousands of wines, spirits and beers, and shop online for delivery or pickup in a store near you. container: 'taboola-right-rail-thumbnails', These are limited edition bottlings, with each bottle being one of no more than 300 drawn from a single cask. . You can usually tell if your bottle is first fill or a refill sherry cask by the color. Born in December 1839, William Grant became a cattle herder at the age of 7 in order to supplement his family's income. I can image that a fresher Sherry 15 would have done better. Thankfully a bottle such as this was recently released by Balvenie in the form of this 15-year-old sherry … I hope so. Because of the larger size, as opposed to smaller casks like hogsheads, there is less surface area per amount of liquid and thus the cask … I will admit it has improved a bit as the bottle has had time to open up more (about 2/3 finished with the bottle at this point). I wish this Balvenie were so. The “First Fill” on the label, of course, refers to the use of first-fill ex-bourbon casks (casks the previously aged bourbon but haven’t been used for anything else). The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask has been matured exclusively in a single European oak sherry butt for at least 15 years. As a teenager, Grant apprenticed as a cobbler and a clerk, and in 1866, he joined Mortlach Distillery as a bookkeeper. From the appearance of this bottling I would say it is definitely not 1st fill which presents a much darker sherry influenced coloring. My hubbie loved it and I did not like it at all. The tainting by the sulphur from the sherry casking masked any other positives of this bottling. In our very first Balvenie review, we touched on two bottlings of The Balvenie DoubleWood 12-Year Old – a 2014 bottling that has been open for a few years and a newer 2017 bottling (an interesting comparison) and then we discussed The Balvenie 12-Year Old Single Barrel before moving to The Balvenie 14-Year Old Caribbean Cask. In 1886, he resigned from his position as distillery manager and bought a field beneath the towering shadows of Balvenie Castle, which he eventually converted into Balvenie Distillery. Senior Staff Writer, Wes, was born and raised in Darlington, South Carolina and attended college at the United States Air Force Academy. Rich notes of fruit, nuts and wood spices. These joined the 12 year old First Fill single barrel unveiled the year before. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. I’m surprised they bottled this especially for the price. From your description of the color being notably intense I'm guessing this might have been from one of the first fill casks. You can click on any of the titles in this paragraph to go to the other five reviews. Both The Balvenie‘s delectable and pricey 21 Year Old Portwood and their more affordable DoubleWood are highly respected, much-enjoyed single malts. Not horrendous, but . Is it a bad cask? But if you’re in the market for something a bit different, their newly released 15 Year Single Barrel Sherry … As I sit writing up this review I’m again listening to my favorite artist of all time Bob Dylan – specifically, The Bootleg Series Vol. Aged in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, refill casks and first-fill ex-sherry casks, bottled at 40% ABV. Review #29 | /r/Scotch Review #8 – The Balvenie 15yr Sherry Fill The Schtick: This is a sherry matured 15yr expression from The Balvenie. This Balvenie expression is matured for at least 15 years in a European oak sherry butt, and not to be confused with The Balvenie’s standard Single Barrel 15 Year Old, which are aged in ex-bourbon barrels rather than former sherry butts. The “First Fill” on the label, of course, refers to the use of first-fill ex-bourbon casks (casks the previously aged bourbon but haven’t been used for anything else). Finish is long and soft, with touches of strawberries, blackberries and cloves. Color: amber. A 2013 addition to The Balvenie's range, as a younger sibling to the 15 Year Old single cask. These first-fill barrels have been used to age Balvenie malt for at least 12 years, and watered down a little bit to a reasonable 47.8% ABV. This Dylan six-CD set is simply outstanding, but I digress. This product is available in:   Awards. The Balvenie - 12 Year Old Single Barrel First Fill New for 2013, this Single Barrel expression from The Balvenie has been aged for 12 years in a first fill Bourbon cask of a single distillation. Note:  This product is not eligible for gift wrapping. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', mode: 'thumbnails-rr', The Balvenie Single Barrel 12 The Balvenie Single Barrel First Fill is a 12 year old single malt whiskey, aged in a first fill, ex-bourbon cask. 15 Year Ex-Sherry Review The Balvenie I like Balvenie, but of the seven total bottles reviewed over the past few months this one comes in at the bottom (and not just for Jeremy and I). Side note: we have each visited this dram three times or more as we’ve grappled with how to rate it. Please be responsible. For years there have been rumors that Balvenie 15 Sherry SiB is coming from a mix of both first fill and refill barrels, with fruitless (IMHO) speculation regarding whether the 650 or 800 bottle count is correlated with that. }); © 2020 ModernThirst. Oak barrels are natural products and each one is different. These first-fill barrels have been used to age Balvenie malt for at least 12 years, and watered down a little bit to a reasonable 47.8% ABV. California Residents: Click here for Proposition 65 WARNING | CA Privacy Right. The 77 above represents several revisits with this bottle as I mentioned earlier. THE BALVENIE 15 YEAR SINGLE BARREL SHERRY CASK:  One of the first sherry-finished scotches that I get the definite sulphur note – an expensive experiment on this single barrel bottling. On the nose: An astringent texture with a long scent of honey, followed by a big and quick smell of orange cough syrup and hints of other citrus. All bottles are labeled with the barrel number and the bottle number. Learn how your comment data is processed. You can follow him on Twitter @WesModernThirst and e-mail him at Wes@ModernThirst.com. It is also a rare single cask release (Balvenie is the only distillery that has an ongoing single cask release of a single age as a part of its … For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Should really try it again. A rather cute little bottle It’s a simple premise along the same lines as the long running and ever popular 15yo Single Barrel – each bottle is part of a small batch bottled from a single cask of whisky, aged for at least 12 years. Balvenie 15 Year Old Sherry Cask Single Barrel #9094 Balvenie was built by William Grant in 1892 and remains part of his family's company to this day. Bottle is first Fill I 'm guessing this might have been from one of standard! 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