Whisky Focus - The Balvenie Triple Cask 12, 16 & 25 Year Old

The frequent flyers amongst you will soon be able to top up your single malt Scotch whisky collections as well as your air miles thanks to the release of The Balvenie Triple Cask, a new range of three expressions from the Speyside distillery.

The Balvenie Triple Cask range, which comprises of 12 year old, 16 year old and 25 year old variants, has been created exclusively for the travel retail market, providing international travellers the opportunity to discover still more from this collection of handcrafted single malt whiskies.

This is the latest release from The Balvenie’s renowned Malt Master David Stewart, who this year celebrated a remarkable 50th year at the distillery.

So, what is The Balvenie Triple Cask range?

As the name suggests it is a new range created by combining The Balvenie whisky that has matured in the three most traditional types of cask – first-fill bourbon, refill bourbon and sherry cask. David Stewart has then brought these together in a large wooden vessel known as a marrying tun.

These new marriages of The Balvenie are made to precise recipes refined over time by David Stewart to ensure each captures the distillery’s distinctive rich, smooth and honeyed style. Only David knows the precise formula and percentages of whisky from each of the three types of casks!

The Triple Cask range is a showcase of The Balvenie’s traditional rich, smooth and honeyed character – David likes to think it reflects the real ‘sweet spot’ or ‘bull’s-eye’ of The Balvenie’s flavour profile. The three age expressions in the range all offer something unique.

How do the different ages in the range differ?

The Balvenie Triple Cask 12 year old is smooth and sweet on the nose with elegant layers of honey and spice. To taste, notes of dried fruits and oak combine with vanilla and cinnamon. The finish is warm and mellow.

The Balvenie Triple Cask 16 year old is rich and complex on the nose with hints of vanilla sweetness. Delicate fruits play with toffee, oak tannin and mellow spice on the palate. The finish is gentle and lingering.

The Balvenie Triple Cask 25 year old is deep, rich and complex on the nose with overtures of oak and spice. Upon tasting, sweet honey coats the mouth before giving way to deliciously silky oak and spice. The finish is exceptionally long and warming.

Reflecting on the release of The Balvenie Triple Cask range, Malt Master David Stewart said: "The Balvenie is known for its rich, luxuriously smooth and honeyed character, so I had those flavours very much in mind when creating these whiskies. I nosed several hundred casks for each expression in the range, making sure we captured and brought together those special Balvenie traits that our drinkers know and enjoy."

Ian Taylor, Global Marketing Manager Global Travel Retail William Grant & Sons, added: "This is the first time that a range of The Balvenie has been created exclusively for the travel retail market and these beautifully presented new releases are sure to catch the eye of malt whisky enthusiasts on their travels. It is tremendously exciting that David Stewart has produced this range in his 50th year at the distillery – he is constantly finding new ways to apply his unrivalled expertise and shows no sign of resting on his laurels."

The Balvenie Triple Cask range has an ABV of 40% and will be available in airports worldwide from April 2013.
 

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