Twelve Year Old Balvenie First Fill Single Barrel Malt Scotch: The Balvenie First Fill 12-year-old is the first in a series of “limited editions” – Each bottle is one of no more than 300 drawn from a single cask and each bottle is hand-numbered and carries the number of the cask in which it matured. Note that some flavours may vary due to the different cask batches. However, the core notes explained should be noticeable. On the nose: you’ll experience intense wafts of buttery popcorn and butter scotch. This will then be closely followed by hints of banana and very small hints of cream soda. On the palate: you’ll get a delightful, thick, buttery, milky texture. Those notes of banana and popcorn will be confirmed – followed by an unsuspected note of custard. Yum! The finish: has a moderate kick and is very warming but it is nicely complimented with some spices.
The verdict: This is a beautiful scotch and has all the flavours and textures I like to find in Speyside Scotches. I’d definitely suggest adding just a touch of water to neutralise the moderate alcohol burn. As with all single malt scotches – this is best enjoyed straight, or with a very small amount of mineral water to allow the flavours to breathe.
Twelve Year Old Balvenie First Fill Single Barrel Malt Scotch Whisky can be found online at The Whisky Shop for approximately £52