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Balvenie 14 Year Old Golden Cask Rum Finish

All That Glitters

0 781

@vanPeltReview by @vanPelt

19th Apr 2014

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  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Balance
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  • Overall
    81

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

This malt is getting only harder to find, so this review is mostly for people wondering whether it's worth seeking. I bought this Golden Cask after trying the “mere” Caribbean expression of the same age, figuring "why not move up to 'Golden'"? I was unable to find good comparisons the two, but existing Golden Cask reviews gave me the impression that this would be richer with "rum spices" and somewhat bolder in fruit. Let's see.

Nose: Quite light (as was the Caribbean). I find the aromas develop in the order: Brown sugar/honey, lemon drops, menthol, underripe banana-green pear skins. Maybe unsalted butter and a hint of that aroma found in Juras. Water doesn't do much. Overall, very light with fruits and anesthetically fresh. I'd expected more significant banana richness.

Palate: Overall leafy and woody-- and surprisingly dry. The entrance is grassy: less sugarcane than sap from its leaves. The leaf impression becomes woodier, a little like biting into bitter cinnamon bark. Bitter-sour-minty. It ends not with banana, but more like a banana-tree leaf. Water is needed and helps bring out some honey to balance out the otherwise bitter complexities.

Finish: Woody nutmeg and pine cones. Dry. Water also greatly improves here, bringing some smoothening vanilla and honey sweetness.

So all-in-all, the Golden Cask was a little disappointing for its woody dryness. My rating applies to the addition of water, which greatly improves it by diluting those bitter edges into curious complexities, while also adding vanilla and honey balance. Nevertheless, I would prefer the flavors of the Caribbean Cask, which was equally light but better balanced. However, I am continuing to store the Golden Cask to track its development. See my follow-up in the comments section….

The most similar malt in character is probably Glenmorangie’s Astar. The Balvenie is not as strong, but so far I find it better balanced.

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7 comments

@vanPelt
vanPelt commented

Follow-up: The bottle was 15cl empty and left for half a year, from autumn to spring…. (Water is still recommended.)

Nose: It is closer to my original expectations, with built-up vapors like a strong egg nog: vanilla custard, potent nutmeg and some allspice, and spirity rum aroma. Another slow breath brings a fraction of those raw greens smelled in the fresh bottle, giving some impression of a young throat-burning liquor. (So yes, a very strong egg nog indeed.)

Palate: Banana leaf still persists. The entrance is underripe banana. Then a wave of spicy and leafy flan. Nutmeg and (to a lesser extent) allspice build substantially everywhere, especially around the uvula. (With a bigger sip, the spices arrive earlier and overtake the mouth.)

Finish: Some young booze in the pit of the throat. The spices seem to dry most of the tongue, and leafy vanilla lingers in the throat.

Time has done some good. The fresh bottle’s lemon and menthol are now gone from the nose, and there is less grass and pine in the palate. The malt also seems less light than before. So I have elevated my score by a couple of points. Let's see whether it keeps increasing....

9 years ago 0

@whiskyed
whiskyed commented

Thanks for your in-depth review and follow up of this and the Caribbean cask. I have a bottle of each and look forward to opening one soon. This is a profile I really want to try and will do so when my open bottle count decreases . Which would you recommend to taste first?

9 years ago 0

@vanPelt
vanPelt commented

@whiskyed : Thanks for mentioning it! It's always nice to know that someone is reading, out there....

9 years ago 0

@vanPelt
vanPelt commented

@whiskyed , PS- I noticed that this one is in your cabinet; I'd be curious what you think of it.

9 years ago 0

@whiskyed
whiskyed commented

I have the Golden cask and the Caribbean cask. I will be opening one as soon as I empty a bottle from my opened stock I'll give you my 2 cents then

9 years ago 0

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