A Quick Dram: Balvenie 17yo Madeira
Balvenie 17yo Madeira wood finish
43% ABV
To be released in September
Colour: Burnt vegetable oil
Nose: Signature Balvenie sticky honey and vanilla underpinned by oranges. Delicately creamy with layers of dried fruit compote. With water opens quite grapy and plumy. Very sweet.
Palate: Orangy start, a lot of meringue/sugar sweetness, a touch of oakiness. Chocolaty texture.
Finish: Dry biscuits, like crackers or oatcakes. More oak.
Overall: Similar to the recently reviewed Balvenie Golden Cask. The same intense sweetness and fruity complexity. Much better than the 17yo Rum finish. Dave Broom recently expressed his opinion that Madeira wood and whisky are a match made in heaven. Whether we agree or not, it certainly worked this time!
Person: Téa Leoni
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James Saxon
August 23rd, 2009
I think, together with The Dalmore, Balvenies are the most beautifully presented. What a shame it is that they have stopped bottling the Founder’s Reserve, though. It was a very impressive 10yo indeed.