Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Balvenie (teaspooned blended malt.)

Bottler: Decadent Drinks.

Region: Speyside, Scotland.

ABV: 51.4%. Cask strength.

Age: 31 years. Distilled in 1992/1993. Bottled in 2024.

Cask type: Vatting of two bourbon barrels.

Price: $80 USD for 200mL (bottle split, full cost $280 for 700mL.)

Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 8 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.

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Nose: honeycomb, minerals, peaches and cream, green melon, melon bread.

Palate: thick body ~ lots of honey, gardenia, white pepper, earth, honeysuckle, more green melon, chocolate malt powder, lime candy.

Finish: medium-short ~ on honey and pepper, cloves, water unlocks apricots and more minerals. 

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Conclusion: Pretty delicious stuff. This is the oldest Balvenie I’ve tried so far, and it matches how I’d expect their honeyed spirit to act if left alone for 30+ years. I wish the finish was a bit more developed and that it gave me more of the complex tertiary notes I’ve found in other Balvenies, but I love the direct intensity of the honey, earthen and floral facets of the palate. Another older Sponge that would be tough to keep around long if I could afford more of it.

Final Score: 88.

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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.