Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Balvenie.

Region: Speyside.

Age: 21 Year.

ABV: 43.0%

Cask Type: Finished in Port Casks

Price: Sample courtesy of /u/_asipper.

Color: 1.2, Chestnut/Oloroso Sherry. Non-Chill Filtered.

This sample was reviewed blind. The label was marked “Due Process” but no hints were given beyond that it was a malt whisky.

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Nose: There’s notes of fresh greenery, light hay, and lots of orchard fruits. Baby’s breath flowers make up a lot of the greenery notes. The orchard fruits are a mix of green apples, champagne grapes, nectarines, and a bit of white peaches.

Palate: There’s a very familiar malt note to this, something I’ve had before. Most of the notes from the nose are here, just in a very delicate and muted form that is dominated by the malt. You get bits of green apple, hay, baby’s breath, and champagne grapes but the malt is the over powering note here.

Finish: Medium in length. There’s a bit of malt and a bit of hay.

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Guess: This seems so familiar but I can’t put my finger on it. I’ll guess it is a Speysider, fairly young and between 12-15 years of age. Ex-refill sherry is my guess, bottled around 46% ABV. I’m going to guess Linkwood or Tormore for distillery.

Reveal: Balvenie 21 Year Portwood

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Conclusion: No wonder it felt familiar, I’ve had the 21 year Portwood Balvenie before in the past and just never got around to reviewing it. Having it again, it’s not bad at all. The nose is quite nice, I love that combination of fresh greenery, the hay, and orchard fruits. I just wish that was really delivered through the rest of the dram. While the notes might be present in the palate, they’re so light and muted that it is disappointing. If it was bottled at cask strength, or even closer to 50%, I think this might have been a home run. As it is, I’m just left thinking it was alright but too malt driven for what it is.

Final Score: 80.

Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.