Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask

Nose: Sugar cane, guava, rum, caramel

Palate: Caramelized sugar, vanilla beans, pineapple, Manilla mango, and just a hint of blood orange. Very drinkable with no water. Smooth but not chewy mouth-feel.

Finish: Sugar cane subsides to a creamy vanilla. It trails off with only a medium length finish, but the end of each sip is quite satisfying, especially after a meal or with a cigar. (Generally, I like my cigar scotches to have a hint of coffee to them, but this one does not and it works great with a stogie.)

Gen'l Commentary: Some scotches that have been aged in rum casks end up being carnivalesque and maudlin to the point of being sickly sweet in a a overly sentimental way. Not so the Balvenie 14. It has a great coherence with an overall arc that gets the tastebuds going. Is it too busy? Well, I would say that it's more dependent on the right moment than the Balvenie 15, for instance, which is a great all-around scotch.

For instance, I would not tend to gravitate to the Balvenie 14 Caribbean on an empty stomach when I was hungry. It's just so sweet; but then again, I don't really prefer mixed drinks much at all. I went through a fine rum phase about seven years ago, but I haven't gone back to upscale aged rums since I embraced scotch fully. Like bourbon, I just don't see as much variability with rum. Scotch, on the other hand, is unquestionably multi-various and this one by Balvenie is an example of just how mu;ch properly prepared and supervised rum casks can help to work their magic on barley grain.

I would go so far as to say that this scotch would indeed please the likes of Jack Sparrow: "Drink up, me hearties! Yo ho, drink up, lads, there's treasure enough for all!"

Just don't wait too long to buy a bottle of this whisky (or to steal one like Jack the Pirate--not really, just kidding . . . or am I?)

The Caribbean Balvenies will be gone sooner than you might imagine. I've seen stocks in Portland, my home down, dwindle significantly since the beginning of summer. Word is getting out!

Plus, this is a marvelous summer porch or summer balcony scotch. I can only imagine how it must be selling in the Deep South, at least in the more affluent cities down there, such as Miami and Key West (yeah yeah, I know those are "real" Southern cities, okay, how about New Orleans, no? then how about Charleston or Nashville? Bingo! Actually, I happen to be partial to Ashville; it's quite a bit like Portland, culturally speaking . . . well, maybe cranked down a few notches on the "weird scale").

I would call The Caribbean offering by Balvenie more or less an "accent bottle." In my cabinet, I tend to keep four scotch bottles open: one sherry cask, one smoky-peaty, one savory, and an accent.

Balvenie 14 Carribean Cask fits the bill nicely for something delightfully atypical, especially to serve those who are new to the delights & wonders of fine scotch . . . and fine it is, most definitely, but not too fine (or dear) to waste by casting before "swine"--such as a glass of Tun 1401, ye gads!

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