[Twisted Canuck]

Well, I cracked that Balvenie 21 tonight, and decided this thread had been gone too long. A very lovely dram. It is not a cask strength, bottled at 40% but I put just a tiny drop of water in it anyway just to open it up. It was very nice initially, no surprises, just what you would expect from a Balvenie. A subtle but lovely nose. Smooth, very nice on the front palate, with just a bit of a bite. Lots of chewy toffee and other good sweets in there, hint of vanilla and beeswax. But on the first go I was a little underwhelmed, I guess I was expecting more from a 21 year old Balvenie. It was very smooth, nice long (if slightly dry) finish, but not any real complexity for a portwood finished dram. So, I let it sit and breathe for about 10 minutes, and then sipped it as I watched the Flames win, and I must say it really was a good exercise in patience, with a fine reward. It just seemed to get deeper and richer with each sip, rolling it on the tongue and started getting some interesting 'background' on the palate. It grew on me to say the least! Definitely a fine offering.

I followed it with the 90 Balblair I wrote about a couple posts ago. And frankly, it is superior by every metric. I can't go on enough about how the Balblair has become my all time #1 favorite, supplanting both the 25 year old Laphroaig and 25 year old Highland Park....and I freaking LOVE those two!! I actually sold a S&W 629 to my brother in law, and used the money to buy 6 more bottles of the Balblair, and dammit, I'm thinking of selling one of my fine old Macallan bottles to buy another half dozen. It's just so good. I'm swishing the last fine bit of a dram down as I type this, and all I can say is.....Don't buy any Balblair!! I want to buy it all myself. For a 23 year old that is sub $200, to beat a couple of 25 year olds in the $450-550 range on my Top Ten List is truly remarkable.

Others may not care for it as much as I do, as we all have our own distinct palates and taste profiles that we prefer. For whatever reason, this Balblair hits all the right buttons for me, perfectly. Color, legs, nose, front palate, a stupidly long beautiful delicious finish.....dear Lord. More please!