The Balvenie – A Rare Discovery From Distant Shores 27 Year Old (75cl, 48%)

This is a 27 year old Speyside single malt from The Balvenie, part of the Stories range, bottled at 48% ABV in a 75cl bottle. It was distilled in the mid-1990s and spent 20 years in traditional American oak hogsheads. In 2014 the whisky moved into casks that had held 10 year old rum from Trinidad's Caroni distillery, where it stayed for a further seven years. The release was inspired by the friendship between Balvenie Malt Master David C. Stewart and rum connoisseur John Barrett, and was limited to 400 nine-litre cases. The nose is muscovado sugar, manuka honey, green banana and light spice. The palate brings velvety vanilla, treacle toffee, aged leather and deep oak tannin, followed by a lingering, sweet, oily finish.