Balvenie 14 year Golden Cask

Here's another whisky available only in duty free shops. Travel retail is a huge market for whisky and many brands are beginning to target shoppers with special these releases at airports. The Balvenie GoldenCask 14 Year Old was matured first in traditional oak whisky casks before spending a final period of maturation in casks previously containing golden Caribbean rum.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Sweet is the word to describe this dram. The rum cask really did its work here. Not your usual Balvenie and interesting to try once but perhaps not more.

Yamazaki 15 years

Here's a whisky we bought from the Yamazaki distillery that we've been meaning to try. Strangely enough, the usual 12, 18 and 25yr whiskies at the distillery shop were a lot more expensive than at duty free or in any decent whisky shop. The Yamazaki 15 years, something which is not commonly found on the mass market, was the only one that seemed more reasonably priced at ~US$100.

THE REVIEW

Comments: A very fruity Yamazaki with a burst of citrus that hits you upon initial contact. Hints of sherrywood linger in the aftertaste. A yummy whisky for a social gathering or for the happier moments in life!

Macallan 1824: Whisky Maker's Selection

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The Macallan 1824 collection is a family of 4 single malts (Select Oak, Whisky Maker's Selection, Estate Reserve and the rare Limited Release bottlings) to mark the founding year of the Macallan distillery.  Interestingly, these are marketed mainly for the duty free sector where they've been extremely successful.  Note that they also do not carry an age statement, which is quite unusual for a premium single malt.

The Whisky Maker's that we sampled was courtesy of our friend K, who bought it from duty free from his latest business trip.  Straight from the press release "Containing rare whisky distilled from barley grown on The Macallan’s Estate which brings a velvety mouthfeel, Whisky Maker’s Edition recognises the skill and dedication of The Macallan’s Whisky Maker, Bob Dalgarno."

THE REVIEW

Comments:  Has an intense nutty, chocolatey flavour blended with hints of mild fruity apricot and figs.  Interesting individually but somehow the flavours did not gel as well as it should overall.  The finish was also quite average for a whisky in its class.