Company: Balvenie Distillery Company
Distillery: Balvenie Distillery
Region: Dufftown, Banffshire, Scotland
Aging: 15 Years in Sherry Casks
Cask Number: 14962
Bottle Number: 29
ABV: 47.8% ABV
Proof: 95.6 Proof
Mash Bill: 100% Single Malt
Non-Chill Filtered: No
MSRP Price: $140
Balvenie 15 Sherry Cask Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark Golden Amber
Nose: Sweet caramel, dark fruit, black cherry, plum, raisin, toasted oak, vanilla, nutmeg, baking spice
Palate: Rich buttery caramel, honey sweetness, charred oak, vanilla, dark fruits, cherry, raisin, plum, oaky spice, black pepper notes, earthy, chocolate tobacco
Finish: Beautiful full finish that leaves you with a rich oily and buttery mouthfeel full of oaky spice, caramel sweetness, and bold dark fruit flavors
Is Balvenie 15 Sherry Cask an Approachable Whisky?
Balvenie 15 Year Sherry Cask packs a bit of a flavor punch.
Even though it may be a bit spicy for beginners to whisky, this is still a bottle that I think everyone will enjoy.
It has a ton of sweet caramel, honey, and fruit flavors that everyone will enjoy but also has a depth and complexity of flavor that the most experienced whisky drinkers will appreciate.
Is Balvenie 15 Sherry Cask Complex?
Balvenie 15 Year Sherry Cask is a very complex whisky with a ton of depth and flavor.
At first, you’re hit with the sweet caramel, oak, and vanilla flavors that we would expect from being in a barrel for 15 years.
In addition, you have the lovely raisin and light fruit notes of your traditional Balvenie flavor profile.
But then, in addition to all of those flavors, you get the lovely dark fruit notes from the sherry cask that leaves this whisky full of cherry and plum notes.
The finish is also quite brilliant with a nice oily and buttery mouthfeel from the non-chill filtration.
What are Balvenie 15 Sherry Cask’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Balvenie 15 Year Sherry Cask’s strongest attribute is how it blends rich fruit and caramel sweetness with oaky spice and a bold finish.
Is Balvenie 15 Sherry Cask a go-to whisky?
Balvenie 15 Year Sherry Cask is a bottle I can’t find easily, but when I see it I always buy a bottle.
If I ever found this one under $100, I would buy as many bottles as I could.
Is Balvenie 15 Sherry Cask priced accurately to its quality?
Balvenie 15 Sherry Cask costs double the price of the standard Balvenie 12 Doublewood, but it also delivers a higher level of quality.
I do think this bottle delivers on its price tag.
Conclusion for Balvenie 15 Sherry Cask
Balvenie 15 Year Sherry Cask is a delicious Scotch Whisky.
It’s not quite as fruity and sweet as many of the other Balvenie bottles, but the rich oaky spice and dark fruit notes are very enjoyable and make this bottle worth purchasing.
If you see this one on the shelf, give it a try and let us know what you think of the distinct flavor profile it gets from the 15 years in a sherry cask.
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Thanks for reading and cheers!
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