Little Duos, today 27 yo Balvenie


January 19, 2023

Little Duos, today 27 yo Balvenie

Or rather one Balvenie and one Burnside, both twenty-seven. The problem is that whenever I try some Burnside, I just cannot get R.L Burnside.'s 'It's Bad You Know' out of my head. Another bluesy earworm…

(picture R.L. Burnside)

Burnside 27 yo 1994/2021 (46.9%, Le Gus't, blended malt, first fill bourbon hogshead, cask #3522, 231 bottles, 2022)

More blended malt from a single cask. Oh, another guaranteed earworm by the way, R.L. Burnside's 'Let My Baby Ride'. De nada. Colour: gold. Nose: pure mirabelley (what?) Balvenie, with also a lot of quinces, butter cream, custard and pink grapefruits. This nose reminds me of the 1970s (we're talking vintages here) and does not need a lot of provincial-station-level literature. Mouth (neat): same combination, mirabelles and quinces plus custard and grapefruits, but this time you'll also find peaches and yellow melons. A tiny sprinkle of grated coconut. With water (although water is not necessary): emphasis on mirabelle, especially mirabelle eau-de-vie. Finish: medium, more herbal. A feeling of hay and chamomile. Coconut in the aftertaste. Comments: perhaps a few tiny fragilities here and there, which happens with natural low strengths, but the Balvenieness was pretty superlative. More very smart selection by Le Gus't.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Balvenie 27 yo (48%, OB, 'A Rare Discovery From Distant Shores', Caroni Rum Cask Finish, 2022)

A little perplexed. Feels a little like more Doritos whisky, any flavours and any variations, as long as it's legal. I mean, as long as the proprietors of the brand names are okay with it, why not a Hampden finish, a Worthy Park finish, a Neisson finish, a Foursquare finish, a Bielle finish, a Bellevue finish, a Port Mourant finish, a Diplomatico finish, or an Enmore finish (spot the odd-one out)… Anyway, let's see if the mirabelles resisted the diesel oil… Colour: white wine. Nose: not a slaughter, they did it smartly, even if these whiffs of two-stroke benzine do feel a little out of place. My problem is that I love these smells of… say old Kawasaki. The mirabelles are still there having said that, and so are the quinces. Whiffs of concrete, hay, straw, wormwood, just a drop of seawater and one of olive oil… Well I just don't know how they managed to keep it balanced. Mouth: more Caroniness on the palate, which, on malt whisky, generates… a feeling of peat. Some tar as well, perhaps a little rubber, tarry olives… and rather greener, unripe fruits. Green bananas for example. Finish: long, dry, a little astringent but not unpleasant. Comments: they just shouldn't tell us. Remember the saying, it's like the law or mortadella, you shouldn't know about how it's made. It's a good drop, but you cannot escape the feeling that you could do these kinds of meta-blends yourself, with a good pipette.
SGP:462 - 85 points.

Don't you think this is a funny situation, whereby some distillate that was in-cask-blended with some heavy rum would remain a single malt whilst the same distillate allegedly 'teaspooned' with some light malt whisky from the same town would not?

Check the index of all Balvenie we've tasted so far