Balvenie – 2005 18 Year Old French Pineau Cask #53 Curious Casks (70cl, 47.9%)

This is a Balvenie single malt distilled in 2005 and bottled at 18 years old, from the A Collection of Curious Casks series. It is bottled at 47.9% in a 70cl bottle, without chill-filtration or added colouring. The whisky spent its first ten years in a mix of ex-bourbon and European oak casks. It then matured for eight more years in casks that had held Pineau from the Charentes region of France. This bottle comes from cask number 53. The nose combines butterscotch and ripe cherries with nutmeg, a hint of cumin and oak. The palate is silky and sweet, with honey, red berries, cinnamon and clove, and the finish stays on caramel with a little clove spice.