Balvenie 21 YO PortWood

Balvenie 21 YO PortWood, 40 %

A classic Speyside giant is up for review here. The Balvenie Distillery was established back in 1892. In 1996 they released this flagship product, the Balvenie 21 YO PortWood.

I started drinking whisky in the summer of 1997, and this whisky has been a favourite of mine since late 1998. This was the first expensive and old whisky I ever bought when I started out exploring the wonderful world of whisky.

The Balvenie 21 YO PortWood is finished in thirty year old port pipes. I do not know what sort of casks it has initially been matured in, but I would guess a mix of bourbon and sherry casks.

There are actually two versions of the Balvenie 21 YO PortWood. In duty free there is a non chill-filtered expression bottled at 47.6 % ABV. I certainly will have to get my hands on this variant, and do a head-to-head comparison.

You can pick up a bottle of the Balvenie 21 YO PortWood in Norway at NOK 1599 (3384301), in Sweden at SEK 1490 (85553), and online in the UK at around GBP 113.

Nose: Warm and comforting from the first sniff. Apples with a dusting of icing sugar. Oranges, camphor and malt drops. With time a fine tuned nuttiness. All in all a delicate, balanced and a bit dusty dram.

Taste: Surprisingly rich mouthfeel for an ABV of just 40 %. Soft and delicate, as the nose. Honey glazed oranges. Soft spices, grapes and red berries. A touch earthy and with something like wine notes in the back.

Finish: Medium to long finish. Lighter notes towards the end, but it keeps developing. Now I find vanilla, apples, banana, honey, and almond milk.

Comments: An old favourite that still delivers!

Score (88/100)

Image from Master of Malt.

Sláinte! - Thomas