The Balvenie – 14 Years Caribbean Cask (70cl, 43%)

The Balvenie 14 Years Caribbean Cask is a Speyside single malt from Dufftown, matured for fourteen years in American oak and then finished in rum casks. The distillery first fills those casks with a blend of Caribbean rums, and the whisky goes in only once the wood has taken up enough rum. It is bottled at 43% in a 70cl bottle. The oak brings honey and vanilla, and the rum casks add toffee and tropical fruit, giving a sweet, tropical side to the malt. The nose is toffee, tropical fruit and vanilla. The palate is sweet vanilla, caramel and ripe fruit with a little pepper, and the finish is soft and lingering, with burnt sugar.