Balvenie 2005 - 18 yo - French Pineau Cask #53 Curious Casks

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 47.9% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Extended maturation in French Pineau casks shapes this release from The Balvenie's A Collection of Curious Casks. Distilled in 2005, the single malt first spent 10 years in a combination of ex-bourbon and European oak casks. It then matured for another 8 years in casks that had previously held Pineau from France's Charentes region. The whisky bears cask number 53 and is bottled at 47.9%; the bottle contains 0.7 litres and comes in a tube.

Sweet cask notes meet fruit, malt and spice. Alongside butterscotch and cherry are toffee, honey, candied orange peel, toasted malt and vanilla oak. Nutmeg, cinnamon and clove add spice; red berries and darker fruit notes are also part of its character. This single malt is not smoky or chill-filtered and contains no added colouring.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, butterscotch and ripe cherries mingle with nutmeg, a hint of cumin and oak.
• Palate: The whisky feels silky on the palate, with a sweetness reminiscent of delicate pastries. Honey and red berries accompany notes of cinnamon and clove.
• Finish: Caramel lingers on the finish with a delicate touch of clove spice.

Distillery/Bottler:

William Grant built The Balvenie beside Glenfiddich in Dufftown, where distillation began in 1893. The distillery still operates its own malting floors, where staff turn the barley during malting. Its coopers prepare casks on site and also oversee the toasting of the wood. The Balvenie distilled the 2005 malt; the whisky then matured in the selected casks before being released as a distillery bottling. Behind the distillery is the family-owned company William Grant & Sons, founded in 1887.

Facts: