The Balvenie single malt Scotch whisky today announced the launch of a new expression: The Balvenie 17 Year Old DoubleWood. This new whisky commemorates Malt Master David Stewart’s 50th anniversary and will join the core range of The Balvenie’s single malts. Expect it to hit store shelves in October.
In crafting The Balvenie 17 Year Old DoubleWood, Stewart matured the whisky first in American oak barrels, which imparted soft, sweet vanilla notes. From there, he transferred the liquid to European sherry casks, which added lots of rich, spicy flavors to the whisky and enhanced its depth and fullness. Over the decades, Stewart has been a pioneer in the two-wood aging process, with The Balvenie releasing its first DoubleWood whisky — the prominent 12 year old expression — in 1993.
From Balvenie —
“It has been a real pleasure to create the DoubleWood 17 Year Old, and I am delighted with the way it has turned out, as I hope Balvenie enthusiasts will be,” said Malt Master David Stewart. “Wherever I travel in the world, DoubleWood 12 Year Old is the expression that people are most likely to have enjoyed. It is also one of the whiskies I am most proud of when I look back over my 50 years at the distillery, which is why it has been so exciting to create this new older version.”
The Balvenie 17 Year Old DoubleWood is an expertly proportioned single malt with distinctive rich vanilla oak, honeyed sweetness and layers of spices. On the nose, it is elegant and complex with oak, vanilla, honey and a hint of green apple. To taste, it is sweet with dried fruits, sherbet spice, toasted almonds and cinnamon, layered with a richness of creamy toffee notes and traces of oak and deep vanilla.
The Balvenie 17 Year Old DoubleWood will be available throughout the U.S. starting in October 2012. It clocks in at 43% ABV, and will retail for about $130.
