If you love cask-finished whisky, you have a certain single malt to thank. The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is a pioneer of a Scotch whisky that has become a go-to dram for connoisseurs, bartenders, and enthusiasts thanks to its consistent quality, availability, and price (£46.95 currently on Master of Malt). This also means it’s served as the perfect introduction to whisky for many newcomers, who can appreciate its depth and sophistication while enjoying its accessible flavor profile.
Today, we take a deep dive into The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old – the whisky that pioneered cask-finishing – in this ultimate guide.
The Origins of Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old Whisky
It was in the late 1970s that The Balvenie Honorary Ambassador and former Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE first experimented with maturing Balvenie whisky in two different cask types in succession. This practice later became known as ‘finishing’.
In 1983, the William Grant & Sons-owned brand launched its first whisky aged in one cask and finished in another, The Balvenie Classic. A decade later in 1993, the distillery revamped its core range as part of its centenary celebrations, releasing Founder’s Reserve Aged 10 Years, Single Barrel Aged 15 Years, and DoubleWood Aged 12 Years, the latter replacing Balvenie Classic.
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Stewart looked back on the creation of DoubleWood on its 25th anniversary in 2018, telling Master of Malt: “My biggest achievement with Balvenie is certainly Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old. It’s not often that you’ve got one whisky that’s lasted for 25 years. That’s really our main seller. It launched in 1993 and we’re still making it today and it’s really the mainstay of the Balvenie core range.”
What Is Cask-Finishing?
In whisky production, cask-finishing refers to a process where a whisky, after its initial maturation, is transferred to a different type of cask for a secondary aging period. This technique brings an extra dimension of flavor, depth, and complexity to whisky that would not be achieved from the primary cask alone.
Ttypically the whisky first matures in American oak ex-bourbon barrels. These casks impart fundamental flavors such as vanilla, caramel, and oak, without overwhelming the spirit, leaving enough room for additional flavors through finishing. This first step usually covers the majority of the whisky’s maturation.
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After the initial maturation, the whisky is moved to a different cask type. The cask used for finishing will usually have previously held a different type of spirit, wine, or other liquid. Sherry casks are the most common, but there are plenty of examples of other cask varieties being used. The Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Whisky is transferred into ex-rum casks. The finishing stage is usually much shorter than the initial maturation, ranging from a few months to a couple of years, so the whisky isn’t overwhelmed by the new cask.
If the finishing lasts longer than a couple of years, brands will often refer to this as a “secondary maturation” rather than “finishing”, but that’s not a legal requirement.
How Is Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old Whisky Made?
Balvenie Distillery is noted for its traditional approach to whisky making. It cultivates and malts its own barley, getting its supply from the Wiseman family, who have been farming for generations.
It’s also one of only a handful of distilleries in Scotland that still has a malting floor. Most distilleries source already malted barley from large-scale suppliers. The Balvenie malts its own barley, from steeping to drying in the kiln. The heat source of the kiln is anthracite and a carefully judged amount of peat, which add further complexity to the whisky.
Another key part of the whisky-making process at The Balvenie is its approach to distillation. Nine squat, short-necked stills produce a new make spirit with a honeyed, sweet character.
Coppersmiths Dennis McBain (who has been with The Balvnie since 1966) and his apprentice George Singer maintain the intricate valves and pipework of the spirit safes the stills. The Balvenie also has its own cooperage to repair and rebuild casks on site. Head cooper Ian McDonald has worked with the company since April 1969.
The maturation of Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old begins with around 11 years of ageing in ex-bourbon American oak casks. Further maturation in European oak ex-oloroso sherry casks occurs for around a year before the whisky is transferred to large oak vessels called ‘tuns’ for three to four months to allow the whiskies from individual casks to marry.
The Malt Master oversees the whole process. Today that’s Kelsey McKechnie, Stewart’s apprentice from 2018 until 2023. Graduating with a BSc in Biology, she joined The Balvenie in 2014 and in that time she has achieved a Masters in Brewing and Distilling and an MBA.
What Does Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old Whisky Taste Like?
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 single malt whisky gains its distinctive character primarily from its maturation in two different wood types. Each stage lends different qualities, with the American oak ex-bourbon casks mellowing the spirit and imparting warming layers of vanilla spiciness. The ex-oloroso sherry European oak casks bring greater complexity and depth of flavour, with darker fruit and rich spice.
McKechnie told Master of Malt that the primary characteristic of Balvenie whisky that runs through its core range is a toffee, butterscotch, note. “It’s that mouth-coating syrupy sweetness. Off the back of that, you get a lot of spice coming through and honey tones. It’s a really rich dram, it’s complex. To me, that embodies everything about the character of Balvenie whisky”. She also said she knows that DoubleWood is perfect when she gets a little sherbet tingle in the nose.
Here is a tasting note for Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old from Master of Malt.
“Appearance: Rich amber.
“Nose: Gristy, supple nuttiness intertwined with spices. Honeyed sultanas and grapes. Hugely inviting.
“Palate: Sweet with good body. The bourbon characters develop; gentle spice with a little vanilla, a hint of balancing peat lurking quietly in the substrata. Dried fruit too, combining with nuts, nutmeg, cinnamon, back into the bourbon notes – so well integrated.
“Finish: Spicy, slightly drying, still sweet.
“Comments: A classic, always a pleasure to revisit. (This is also a single malt with the ability to convert a non-whisky drinker with its deliciousness…)”
Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old Whisky: A Multi-Award-Winning Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old Whisky has garnered numerous awards over the years. Here is a list of some notable accolades it has won recently:
Gold at the International Spirits Challenge – 2023 and 2021
Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition – 2022 and 2021
Master (Best in Category) at the The Scotch Whisky Masters – 2020
Gold Outstanding (96 points) at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) – 2021
Best Speyside Single Malt 12 Years and Under at the World Whiskies Awards – 2019
Why You Should buy Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old Whisky
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old Whisky is, simply, a whisky that every whisky enthusiast should know about. Whether you love it or not is down to preference, of course, but if you haven’t tried it yet you’re missing out on a piece of whisky history.
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