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Enjoy the intriguing, complex flavours of 12-year-old Balvenie, here with an extra layer of scented vanilla wood. This flavour packed release was finished in new Kentucky casks to extract the wood’s natural sweetness and toasty vanilla spice. Braw.
Tasting notes
Candied citrus peel with vanilla toffee and a gently spicy finish
Aroma
Fudge, citrus and vanilla with ginger and cinnamon notes
The Sweet Taste of American Oak was the brainchild of one of Balvenie’s newer members of staff. Apprentice Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie wanted to further examine the influence oak has on their malt. So what better way to examine its effects than to use unused casks made with American oak? As Rioja lovers have tasted, American oak imbues a sweet vanilla layer to the liquid stored within. And so the team went to visit the Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky, to source their new casks. In the US, the insides of the casks were toasted over open white oak fires to release the wood’s vanillins. Once in Scotland, they get another toasting at the on-site cooperage, before being filled with Balvenie. A sweet, fruity and subtly spicy dram.