The Balvenie 12 Doublewood

As my quest into the realm of single malt scotch continues I decided to pick up something I've yet to have prior to this review, The Balvenie 12 yr old Doublewood. This scotch is said to spend half of it's life in oak barrels and the rest in a sherry barrel, which makes it different from any other Single Malt, I've seen -- they tend to just live in oak barrels prior to bottling.

I grabbed my bottle of spring water, filled 1/3 of my old fashioned glass swished it around and tossed it, leaving just a few drops to allow the scotch to "open up" with the water that remained. I poured a couple of fingers of it and let it sit for about 3 minutes before I took a drink.

Before I took the first drink, rich oak smell with a tad sweetness hit my nose. I figured at this point, I was in for a treat. I took a first sip and a strange stiffness his my tongue, similar to other scotches I had, but not bitter or overpowering. The finish was long and smooth with this, giving you an almost fruit type after taste on the finish, I presume that comes from the sherry barrels, but having never had sherry -- I can only speculate. One thing I noticed particularly that I like about this as it appears to dry the palate quickly upon swallowing leaving that fruit type ambiance in my mouth, a wonderful finish IMO.

This is a tasty scotch that will without question become a staple in my collection, especially given it's bargain price tag of $32. I get the feeling this would have complemented a fine Cuban Cigar, as far as NC's go -- I'm not sure, maybe something a little lighter like a La Aroma De Cuba or an Ashton Cabinet. Nothing too strong. The Balvenie 12 yo Doublewood. Give it a try folks, I was not disappointed.