The Balvenie DoubleWood Aged 25 Years contains liquid laid down at the Dufftown distillery in 1993 – the same year the original Doublewood Aged 12 Years was released on general sale.

Created by malt master David Stewart, the whisky was matured in traditional whisky casks for 25 years and finished in Spanish oak ex-oloroso Sherry casks.

It was finished in Sherry casks for three months – a shorter time compared to nine months for the 12-year-old bottling – due to its “greater level of spice and complexity” after 25 years of ageing.

Stewart first began experimenting with cask finishing in 1982 by transferring mature Balvenie into Oloroso Sherry casks to finish it for a number of months.

This led to the release of the Balvenie Classic in 1983, which was then rebranded as DoubleWood in 1993.

“When we launched the first DoubleWood in 1993, I would have never thought we would eventually be bottling a 25-year-old variant as we are today,” said Stewart.

“It’s a testament to the success and admiration of DoubleWood that we are releasing this more mature expression.

“The final liquid has a lovely combination of sweetness and spice, with candied orange, some honey syrup on the nose, followed by a velvety mouth-coating taste, with layers of brown sugar and sweet dried fruits.

“The extra time spent in American oak and finally Sherry casks has imparted a finish full of oak and Sherried sweetness.”

Read More at source: The Spirits Business

Image Source: The Spirits Business