The Balvenie Aged 12 Years DoubleWood Scotch Whisky, 750 ml

Flavor Profile

• Nose: Sweet fruit and Oloroso sherry notes, layered with honey and vanilla
• Taste: Smooth and mellow with beautifully combined flavors nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness, and a delicately proportioned layer of sherry
• Finish: Long and warming

Process

Home Grown Barley

At The Balvenie, we still grow our own barley for malting. The Balvenie is the sole Highland distillery that self-cultivates and malts barley, maintains a rich farming tradition.

Malting Floor

One of only a handful of malting floors that are still active in Scotland. After steeping the barley in spring water sourced from hills above the distillery, we spread the grain across our traditional malting floor. Our Malt Men turn it by hand until the malted barley is ready for the kiln, where it's dried using anthracite and a carefully judged amount of peat, adding further complexity to our whisky. We turn the barley up to four times a day, seven days a week.

Copper Stills

The shape of our pot stills gives our whisky its honeyed flavor. That’s why coppersmithing skills are essential for maintaining The Balvenie’s character.

Cooperage

• First Cask (Whisky Oak): Many years of maturation in traditional whisky casks mellows the maturating spirit and imparts warming layers of vanilla spiciness for 12 years
• Second Cask (Sherry Oak): Further maturation in European Oak Sherry casks increases complexity, bringing fruity, honeyed depths to the resulting Single Malt over 9 months

The whisky is transferred to large oak vessels called 'tuns' for three to four months to allow the whiskies from individual casks to marry. Only the cooper's touch is trusted to get the best from the casks, ensuring they are wind and water tight. Our coopers are integral to our whisky. The craft of repairing and rebuilding the casks that breathe character into our whisky is a skill that takes years to hone. 70% of The Balvenie's distinct flavor comes from the cask. It is matured in two woods known as "wood finishing".

Malt Master

Our Malt Master noses samples for a balance of notes and consistent character, mastering the complex skills required to create the finest single malt whisky.

Pairings

There are many ways to enjoy The Balvenie. Neat, over ice or with a few drops of water are the most common ways to explore the flavors and character of our whisky in their purest form. For those seeking other ways to enjoy The Balvenie, why not try a glass of whisky paired with a recommended tea, in one of our carefully designed whisky and tea cocktails. Tea and whisky share a synergy rooted in provenance and centuries of craftsmanship – both require years of dedication from their master blenders, honing their skills to ensure consistency and quality in every batch created. The complexity of flavors in both whisky and tea, along with the parallels in their makers and cultures, presents an exciting opportunity for the purists among us to enjoy and discover The Balvenie differently, whilst also offering you the chance to savor the variety of flavors and notes in both of these exquisite liquids.

Awards

• Gold, International Spirits Challenge, 2024
• Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, 2024

Distillery Location

The Balvenie’s lush surroundings have shaped its character, with abundant water springs, the ideal climate, and fertile soil for barley growth. We draw spring water for the distillery from the Conval Hills that overlook our distillery. Our dunnage warehouse was built from the stones of Balvenie Castle. Balvenie’s first production first began back in 1893. DoubleWood 12 whisky was launched in 1993, using a process designed by our Honorary Ambassador and Former Malt Master David C. Stewart in 1982, now commonly known as 'wood finishing'.

The DoubleWood Honey Old Fashioned Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 fl. oz. The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old Whisky
• 0.25 fl. oz. Honey syrup (Mix equal parts warm water and honey until dissolved)
• 2 Dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
• 1 Dash Orange Bitters

Garnish

• Orange Peel

Instructions

1. Add the honey syrup and both bitters to a mixing glass

2. Add the of Balvenie DoubleWood

3. Fill the mixing glass with large ice cubes and stir for about 20–30 seconds until well-chilled and diluted

4. Strain the liquid into a rocks glass over one large, clear ice cube

5. Express the orange peel over the glass (twist it skin-side down to release the oils), wipe it around the rim, and drop it in