A Bad Word About The Balvenie

[bamber]

Balvenie 15yo 47.8% SB, Cask 419, bottled 13/4/06 ....

is the worst Balvenie I've had and has a clear off note in the finish (that kind of bitter off-wood taste, that makes me think the barrel was not all it should be). It's not massive and the stuff is still drinkable, but every sip makes me smart slightly.

Yuk

Currently I say boo to The Balvenie. I thought they'd never let me down.

[jimidrammer]

Say it ain't so!. Time to stock up on the '90-'05 bottling then before it's gone so I can skate past that release.

[bamber]

Man I was so annoyed. Been saving that bottle for a blue day, thinking there was no safer bet in my cupboard. It's the first Balvenie I've been let down by.

[Muskrat Portage]

Sion:
Check with the merchant and see if you can return it, if it's that poor you shouldn't have to waste your money. Here, if you open a bottle that doesn't make the grade, they'll take it back. Mind you, you need your receipt, which is why I like to get bottles in tubes, as I stuff the bill in the bottom under the bottle. It's useful for keeping track of the value of your collection and allows returns at a later date.

Muskrat

[bamber]

Good idea Muskrat, but I bought it at Heathrow a few weeks back and have no receipt It will go in the hip flask on nights out I guess - a fate normally reserved for cheap blends.

[TheLiquorBaron]

Sion that is terrible that you have received such a 'bad' Balvenie!

It is unusual that any 'bad' whisky would come from W. Grant & Sons...although I haven't really had a great variety in their whiskies, however what I have had I do enjoy very much and I believe David Stewart's quality workmanship would not allow a bad whisky to be released to the consumer.

Maybe that is just the profile of the whisky that you have?? Are there tasting notes with the bottle??

I'm not really into mixing single malts(especially single cask bottlings!!) with soft drink or anything of the likes, so I won't suggest mixing it with those however Sion maybe it may be worth vatting/blending with another whisky...??

Muskrat Portage said

Check with the merchant and see if you can return it...

- I supose it is worth checking with the retailer, however you may get some funny looks when you take your half empty bottle in and tell them that "something is wrong with this whisky". I know that whisky can become 'tainted' but I can just imagine that most people would think..."who's this person(tool ) trying to pull the wool over my eyes??"

[Muskrat Portage]

Bar Items:
What wool over what eyes? As you are probably well aware, Canadians are known for their honesty and sense of fair play. They would never try to take unfair advantage of a retailer! Yeah ... right.

The local LC manager and I have discussed returns policy in the past and if someone has had a drink out of the bottle of, say wine, and found it was "off" the LCBO have accepted it and refunded the money or provided another product in it's place, whatever the consumer chooses. This return information would ( I assume) be passed on to their head office for action.

It may be hard to return the product to Heathrow 'though, so Sion I would save it for the next tasting you host and pull it out about 1/2 way through. Explain how dreadful you found it is and then let everyone try it and make their tasting notes. That'll dispose of the offending whisky 'cause invariably someone will love it and offer to take it off your hands.

Muskrat Portage

[bamber]

I've tried it on a couple of occasions now and I'm convinced it is a fault rather than something in the flavour profile (whatever that means).

Bar Items: I think there are notes on the bottle but they are just standard blurb (I forget to be honest and do not have the bottle to hand).

I've had a couple of other whiskies with the same thing - an Old Pulteney 17 Year Old (at a Jim Murray whisky tasting) and a Cadenhead's bottling.

Jim spotted the flawed Pulteney on the nose, but we were all shrugging our shoulders until we tasted it and were left with a really bitter residue on the tongue that spoilt the next whisky. Weird thing was not everyone hated it and I wonder if it is one of those flavours that only effect some people.

The Balvenie I have is nothing like as bad as that Old Pulteney - the nose and palate are lovely, but it gets its own back after it has gone down your throat. It immediately made me think of the JM tasting.

I might try vatting it with something peaty - that's not a bad idea.

It's not put me off Balvenie in general, but I wont buy another SB offering unless someone has written notes for it first.

Funny thing is I'm tempted to buy a bottle of the 10yo today to set things straight

[bamber]

I'm getting on increasingly thin ice here but another thought about this - I wonder if David Stewart (assuming he selected this cask) just noses, rather than tastes.

I really think most whisky lovers who had a big chew of this whisky, would notice something in the finish. Anyway I'll continue my camp outside Oddbins until they get the new Ardbeg in ....

[hpulley]

I'm getting on increasingly thin ice here but another thought about this - I wonder if David Stewart (assuming he selected this cask) just noses, rather than tastes.

I really think most whisky lovers who had a big chew of this whisky, would notice something in the finish. Anyway I'll continue my camp outside Oddbins until they get the new Ardbeg in ....

I don't know about David but I've heard rumours about some 'tasters' who will remain nameless who do taste but don't swallow so for me their notes on the finish are quite dubious. Of course, I only really trust one set of notes now anyways: my own! After years of drinking I know that only I can tell if I like a bottle, not someone else. I put off buying some bottles for years based upon reputation and then finally (luckily, before it was gone) tried them for myself and loved them so while I enjoy discussing whisky with folks here I don't let anyone else tell me not to buy anything anymore. Your mileage may vary of course!

Harry

[Deactivated Member]

Alas! Surely not a duff bottle from Balvenie?
Hope the next bottle of 15 I get isn't one from that batch.

[bamber]

.... After years of drinking I know that only I can tell if I like a bottle, not someone else. I put off buying some bottles for years based upon reputation and then finally (luckily, before it was gone) tried them for myself and loved them so while I enjoy discussing whisky with folks here I don't let anyone else tell me not to buy anything anymore. Your mileage may vary of course!

Harry

I agree with you in principle Harry, but unfortunately we can't buy every bottle of whisk(e)y that's ever released

The one word that will make me run a mile from a malt is sulphur. So much so that I hardly ever buy sherried whiskies these days.

[hpulley]

.... After years of drinking I know that only I can tell if I like a bottle, not someone else. I put off buying some bottles for years based upon reputation and then finally (luckily, before it was gone) tried them for myself and loved them so while I enjoy discussing whisky with folks here I don't let anyone else tell me not to buy anything anymore. Your mileage may vary of course!

Harry

I agree with you in principle Harry, but unfortunately we can't buy every bottle of whisk(e)y that's ever released

The one word that will make me run a mile from a malt is sulphur. So much so that I hardly ever buy sherried whiskies these days.

No, you can't buy everything but personally I buy things I want to try. If someone says whisky X isn't good but I want to try it them I don't take their word for it, I buy it and try it for myself.

Sherried whiskies are something which I love or hate depending on the time which varies by months at a time. I go on ex-bourbon only kicks and ex-sherry kicks. Right now I'm enjoying ex-sherry, ex-port, ex-brandy and ex-cognac casks but at other times I poopoo them.

I can't even rely on my own old tasting notes as my mood may be different from the last time which is why I don't put much stock in a single tasting or the first few pours from a bottle. After 5-10 pours (seriously) I may start to get a good idea of a whisky. After a couple of bottles I think I can say I know a whisky well. No professional taster has the time to taste a couple of bottles of a whisky so, in my opinion, their notes are suspect but I suppose that's what makes them pros! Hopefully it doesn't take them 1L of spirit to know if its good or not but it really can take me that long to know if it will be a life long passion or just a one night stand

Harry

[bamber]

After 5-10 pours (seriously) I may start to get a good idea of a whisky. After a couple of bottles I think I can say I know a whisky well. No professional taster has the time to taste a couple of bottles of a whisky so, in my opinion, their notes are suspect but I suppose that's what makes them pros! Hopefully it doesn't take them 1L of spirit to know if its good or not but it really can take me that long to know if it will be a life long passion or just a one night stand Wink

I'm really with you on this one. Laphroaig QC was like this with me. I'm one of the few people who was not too excited about it when I had a single dram of it, but 2/3 through the bottle I decided I really liked it. Converselt it took me 1.5 bottles to find out I did not like Uigedail.

The whisky phases thing is a good point as well. I've been on a real bourbon cask Speyside and Highland theme lately. I'm sure I'll be right back into something else soon enough. That's the great thing about whisk(e)y - so much variety.

[hpulley]

Funny: I feel the opposite way about LQC: I loved it for the first week but haven't liked it so much since. Sometimes happens with music too: first few listens are awesome but they may mean it is flashy and I'll be bored of it quickly. Sometimes ones which grow on me are favorites for longer. Islays certainly took time to grow on me and are now my faves.

Harry

[Lawrence]

[quote="bamber]I agree with you in principle Harry, but unfortunately we can't buy every bottle of whisk(e)y that's ever released [quote="bamber]

That's a poor attitude!

[bamber]

That's a poor attitude!

I'm working on it

[Single Malt Kommunist]

Harry[/quote]

I can't even rely on my own old tasting notes as my mood may be different from the last time which is why I don't put much stock in a single tasting or the first few pours from a bottle. After 5-10 pours (seriously) I may start to get a good idea of a whisky. After a couple of bottles I think I can say I know a whisky well. No professional taster has the time to taste a couple of bottles of a whisky so, in my opinion, their notes are suspect but I suppose that's what makes them pros! Hopefully it doesn't take them 1L of spirit to know if its good or not but it really can take me that long to know if it will be a life long passion or just a one night stand

Harry[/quote]

Amen. Its great to hear this coming from some of the salty dogs here on the forum. In my second year of being hooked, this is often my norm.

Although I loved Islays from the start ; ))

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Yes I agree with a lot of the sentiments on this board. I too am forced rely on my mood to dictate what I should be drinking and even then I can get different reactions to the same whiskey through my different moods ....... not saying I'm a moody person or anything though

In saying that I feel you can still get some of the main charachters of the whiskey pretty much always.