The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year Old Scotch – Review

The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

95.6 Proof

Price Point: $60 – $70 for 750 ML

Distiller: The Balvenie Distillery

Background

If you’ve been keeping up with my blog, you’ve probably noticed that I have already reviewed the Balvenie DoubleWood and Caribbean Cask.  I have rated both pretty high relative to the majority of my other reviews – 86 and 88 respectively.

Of course, many whiskey drinkers are under the assumption that the “older” the expression, the better it is.  Thus, the 15 Year Old must be higher quality than the 12 and 14 Year Olds.  Let’s see if that theory holds true.

Review

The nose on the Single Barrel is a little harsher than other Balvenie expressions, due to its higher proof.  It almost has a rye spiciness (ex-bourbon barrel aging), and has a citrus quality similar to the Glenlivet line.

The taste is dominated by honey, with a sweet and malty combination.  There’s some maple syrup somewhere in there, too.  This is a big drink for a Balvenie.

Decent length on the finish, and pretty well-balanced.  No complaints here.

Rating & Recommendations

As with the other Balvenie whiskies, I enjoy this one.  I give it a rating of 85 out of 100.

When all is said and done, I think that the DoubleWood is a better value, and the Caribbean Cask is more interesting.  If you’re struggling between the three, this would probably be my third choice.

-Ryan