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The Balvenie’s 17 Year SherryOak was their 2007 17 Year release and it was the first time a 100% sherried Balvenie was bottled by the distillery. This was high up on my wishlist for a long time and I eventually finally found someone willing to trade one away. As it was bottled in 2007, this whisky was all distilled in 1990 or earlier and was matured in 100% first fill Oloroso Sherry casks. Balvenie’s 17 year releases never disappoint. Would this be an exception?
| Category | Notes |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Copper |
| Nose | Sweet and spicy, red berries, toffee, honey, sherry, cloves, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cherries, mint leaves, vanilla, oak, hint of fennel |
| Taste | Softer than expected and a bit thin [chill filtration], plenty of vanilla, sherry for sure, white pepper, some chocolate, almost bordering on cappuccino, honey. The oak comes out more with time, more cinnamon and toffee |
| Finish | Long, spicy, not dry at all. Honey and oak are the last to fade. Oh, that Balvenie is just soooooo typical. |
| Overall Thoughts | I think I would have liked this a lot more if I tried it before some other wonderful Balvenie 100% sherry offerings. That said, this is still a solid dram and certainly worth trying as it has some maturity to it. |
| Total Score | 89/100 |
