The Balvenie 15-Year-Old Single Barrel Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Nose: Huge, faultless sherry: clean, confident and muscling in with wonderful spices and burnt raisin, Enormous... but how is the body going to cope with this little lot...? Taste: a complete sherry fest from first to last. Melton Hunt cake at its moistest, with as many burnt raisins as they could throw into the mix and a few extra dollops of molasses for good measure; Finish: some bitterness was bound to catch up at some stage...it cannot with this kind of cask as toastiness abounds. But long and satisfying all the way...; Balance: a faultless cask - not a shadow of sulphur anywhere. But a case of where the grape has overwhelmed the barley, meaning balance has been compromised: and on the palate it feels as though you have been mugged by an oloroso butt. That said, this is still a stunning experience - a silky delight to be savoured. Score - 95. (Jim Murray, Whisky Bible, 2016)