Balvenie 15 (OB) 1977 Single Barrel

Sample 9/12 of the May tasting set

Initial Nose: Flower garden bed, earthy, preserved meats, Chinese sausage (lap cheong), oily, lemons

Nosing after time: Moss, mushrooms and slight peat come through with a basket of lemons and light spices

Palate: Honey, lemon, oily, slight spices, salted butter that becomes earthy and mushroom umami

Finish: Creamy with slight spices and hint of coffee grounds/dark chocolate

At cask strength I believe Balvenie expresses itself much better with so much more flavours. This single cask 15 is definitely greatly better than the standard 15 with interesting earthy/savoury notes on the nose and palate instead of just sweetness.

Photo taken from https://whiskyauctioneer.com/