Discover Whisky

Regular readers will recall my tasting notes on the Balvenie 17 year-old Madeira Cask a little while back. This whisky has now been launched in the US with a two-night event at New York’s Eleven Madison Park Restaurant where invited guests were given tastings of the entire 17 year old range with the Madeira taking pride of place.

I’m heading back to Madeira myself in a few weeks so I might develop even more of a taste for it by the time I get back!

They are also offering a sweepstake on their website at the moment with a very interesting prize of an exclusive Scotch Whisky nosing and tasting kit containing 24 separate aromas and a dedicated nosing guide, along with a Balvenie hipflask. Go to Discover Rare Craftsmanship Sweepstakes if you fancy taking part in that.

The sweepstake seems to be part of a number of developments on their site with the Warehouse 24 members area and their Whisky Shelf - which is a place to record and compare your tasting experiences of all whiskies, not just the Balvenie, with other members.

Nice to see an attractive looking site making some enterprising additions. They should do well with it.

But not a Scottish island. This one lies off the coast of Africa but is part of Europe and run by Portugal. The delightful island of Madeira is famous for its mild climate, excellent seafood and the wine which takes its name. I was there myself over New Year and enjoyed it immensely, so when I was asked if I wished to sample a single malt which had been finished in Madeiran wine casks I was immediately intrigued.

The whisky in question is The Balvenie, a Speyside noted for its smooth taste. Now regular readers will know that I’m not really a Speyside afficionado; generally favouring the wilder and more complex flavours of the west coast, though I do have fond memories of an evening spent drinking Balvenie in the company of the historical novelist Dorothy Dunnett, herself an expert and appreciative malt drinker; but the prospect of a combination with the rich taste of Madeira easily pursuaded me to lay aside my normal preference for smoke and peat.

The Balvenie - Madeira Cask, 17 years old, 43%

Colour

Medium-light honey

Nose

Soft, smooth, a suggestion of honey with a slight hint of cough medicine. The Madeira comes through well. Leaving it for a few minutes produces a vanilla note with the Madeira fading back.

Taste

Initial taste

Warm without being spirity. Front of the tongue tastes predominate, redolent of one of the richer honeys such as Manuka.

Later taste

The honey dies back and a spicier taste appears - very reminicent of Christmas cake with flavours of dark dried fruits and cinnamon.

Finish

Medium length. Not essentially different from the flavours of the second taste, but while in a west coast malt I would find that slightly disappointing, here it is much more appropriate for it to maintain consistency.

After a little water

A touch of water releases some lighter vanilla notes and the taste lightens too, becoming sweeter and finally producing the Madeira cake flavour that I’d been expecting might be present. I seldom prefer watered versions but here it’s a satisfying counterpoint.

Conclusion

The marriage between smooth Speyside spirit and the rich flavours of Madeiran wine works very well. While Balvenie isn’t as complex a spirit as one from Islay or Skye, its smooth refined palate provides an ideal base for the addition of the rich spiciness provided by the wine casks. Had this approach been applied to a more complicated malt it might well have resulted in a clash, here it blends the respective flavours to produce something that exceeds both. If you like smooth Speysides and especially if you also like rich, spicy fortified wines then I’d recommend that you give this one a try when it’s released in September.

One of Dorothy Dunnett’s books involves the hero’s Scots father owning a plantation on Madeira in the 15th century - it’s a connection that now makes perfect sense.