Balvenie French Oak Finish 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Note: Product has come from a private collection and as such has some minor scuffing/scratches/handling marks. Actual product pictured.

Other reviews... Matured for 16 years before being finished for several months in wine casks from France’s Pineau des Charentes region. Fragrant citrus and vanilla on the nose. A complex, creamy, and smooth mouthfeel of brown sugar, chocolate, and golden raisins, all cloaked in vanilla and sprinkled with savory spice. A vanilla-tinged finish with great length. 94 points - whiskyadvocate.com

...More finishing craze here, as this noble baby was finished in French Pineau des Charentes, which is must (moût, grape juice) fortified to approx. 17% vol. with some cognac and aged in oak for at least 1 year for the whites. There's white pineau, rosé pineau and red pineau, not too sure which one has been used by Balvenie. Young Pineau is pretty cheap but they age very well in wood and you could find some old ones that would command higher prices. Grosperrin make some excellent old Pineau. Now Pineau has a flipside, it drinks way too fast so make sure not to have it with ice, or it will drink even faster. Colour: light gold. Nose: I find it extremely mirabelle-y, which was already one of the Distillery's traits in my book. So they have added mirabelles to mirabelles, while I love mirabelles. Also flowers (dandelions), apricots, golden delicious and quinces, plus some lighter acacia honey, some golden sultanas, hochicha (roasted tea) and early grey. Almost a middle-aged ex-bourbon Balvenie seen through a magnifier. Mouth: rather tarter, much more citrusy and spicy than your usual unsherried Balvenie this time. Grapefruit liqueur with some turmeric and ginger. Touches of bitter and tonic water, which imparts a feeling of… say Balvenie Spritz. The background remains rounder and softer, with the usual quinces, mirabelles and, this time, sultanas from the Pineau. Finish: long, spicy and citrusy. Tangerines. Similar feeling of turmeric – does turmeric still cure everything? Comments: I like this fusion malt a lot. Totally Balvenie on the nose, much more 'deviant' on the palate. Things could have gotten much, much worse. 86 points - whiskyadvocate.com