ralfy review 841 - Balvenie 12yo Taste of Sweet Oak @ 43%vol: 

I rarely comment but I would like to take the opportunity to tell you that I truly appreciate every single one of your videos. I find many reviews are redundant and even pretentious but I Always respect your viewpoint even if I don't agree 100%. Stay safe during this time Ralfy and Thank You for still making these absolutely splendid reviews! Much love from a small corner in Sweden.

I gess Balvenie's owners aren't very happy right now, they receieved Ralfy's first under 80 mark in 11 years.

Ralfy - thanks for always doing this. I feel like you are the Dramcyclopedia of RU-vid. Whenever I have purchased a ottle or am thinking of picking up another, I just search and you are there. Very thoughtful review. Cheers!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge, it is hugely appreciated and has been quite useful throughout my own personal whisky journey. Education is a priceless gift.

Who would have thought ten years ago that people today would be raving about Tobermory, Glen Scotia, Speyburn and Glenallachie, while avoiding distilleries like Balvenie, and going somewhat soft on Lagavulin and Ardbeg.

Ralfy, I 100% agree with you on this review. This Balvenie 12 Sweet Toast of American Oak was my biggest whisky disappointment of last year. Not only is it not good, it was disappointingly boring to me even though the price was at a medium range here in Southern California. While I generally enjoy Balvenie releases, this one wasn’t just a miss, it was a long shot in the wrong direction. At least Mellow Corn is only $13 here and hits well above its price point. Slainte, malevolent malt master!

I've been waiting for this review because I wanted a no bullshit review about this expression and the crappy direction and current position of Balvenie. Balvenie are a great distillery bottling garbage overpriced stuff. The whisky community hardly ever talk about them any more, like Bowmore, and that tells me they've drifted out of the orbit of what I call real whisky drinkers.

I used to like Balvenie a lot and as discussed once before, I think they have gone the money way instead of creating better Whisky, non chill-filtered and at higher strength. Besides, almost all expressions have added coloring. I agree with you that we should not count off a distillery. Balvenie certainly can produce some outstanding stuff, but at the moment, they cost to much for what they deliver, therefore, I will refrain from buying any expression.

Regarding virgin oak, I know it's not setting the world on fire for most people, but I was quite pleased what Edradour has managed to do with it. Comparing the cask strength virgin oak 10 to its stablemate the bourbon, I found the bourbon version created a rather overpowering strength combined with Edradour's already rather intense spirit, but the virgin oak, possibly with its bitterness, balanced things out quite nicely. I do hope that each distillery finds a way to use more new oak, as owning managed woodland is the future of any distillery if they want to keep themselves safe from external market pressures.

I spy with my little eye...a bottle of *Wee Beastie* !!

I grant you American citizenship, Ralfy! You’re a good man

Interesting about what you said about the wood dominating the Balvenie Spirit. A similar thing happens in wine. When vineyards get a bad vintage, they can hide it by over-aging it in wood which wine enthusiasts call a ‘vanilla bomb’. It’s almost like the same thing has happened here.

Balvenie just sank Ralfy's boat....right in the middle of the Irish sea! 😱

Hello you multicultural, mostly multilingual, many malt mentioning malt mates and thank you to Ralfy for considering my magnificent malt mention! I have just ordered your book and will take it on my Highland trip in 2 weeks! Glengoyne visit all booked! 👍 Another below par Balvenie. Simply not good enough.

Ralfy is a Smiths man, things you love to hear! I’m glad you mentioned the Single Cask 15 year old bottles, my mate gave me one for free and I’m yet to open it.

Wow! The first sub-80 Malt Mark 😱

The Smiths.......oh gawd......I've just been reminded of my past with a wonderful group. Thanks a lot. Cheers

I had this bottle last year from my friend's shelf. I'd say your spot on with this review

You absolutely hold my attention Malt mate, keep on trucking.

Hallo Ralfy! I just finished your book and quite enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing your story and for taking us along on this adventure for so many years. You are my malt muse, the cat’s pajamas, the bee’s knees, and the whisky’s whiskers! Looking forward to many more virtual drams with you! Slainte!

Fascinating, this marketing name alone would normally reel me in to purchasing a bottle as a curio, but your honest opinion is appreciated in cutting through the fluff. The 12 yr old single cask first fill is, to this day, one of my favorite scotches of hundreds.

Thank you for sharing Ralfy. Thank you for sharing the truth! Just sharing.

Thanks for my malt mention Ralfy, appreciate it.

Love the Smiths...great 80s band for the older crowd here!!

Ralfy congrats on grabbing the Wee Beastie looking forward to your thoughts!

Can someone send a screenshot of 8:40 over to Balvenie? I guess that kinda sums it up :-)

It's easy to downplay the failings of a dram due to the love of the distillery, we should always avoid this if we can. Thanks as always Ralfy, cheers! 🥃

I love the comment about the golf..... silly trousers and great banter!

Well...a $45 cdn bottle of Deanston engenders in me ample forgiveness. Somehow I doubt a comparable price for this offering. In the case of the Deanston, it does mellow somewhat after being opened for a few weeks. The first pour is like a sledgehammer to the forehead

Ooohhhh.. 😱😱 it is the first time that Ralfy gives you a score below 80 points... Amazing..

In the past, I've bought things that you low-marked because I liked your description. In this case, I'm not a big fan of over-oaked malts but when I do stumble on them, them make a good blending agent for under-oaked malts.

I’ve enjoyed several Balvenie’s but I’ve not bought a bottle for some time since I’ve focused more on higher strength, non-chill filtered, natural colour whisky for my personal stash. It’s such a shame they don’t present their whisky better because the flavour profile is good. Same goes for Glenfiddich.

Wee Beastie in the background...! looking forward to the review :)

Wow, didn't know Ralfy was a Smiths fan. My malt mention in Whisky Review 578 was a reference to Morrissey :D

Wish I had viewed this before I wasted money on this malt a few months ago because it was on sale. Harsh is the right word. Bought it because I’ve enjoyed other Balvenie expressions.

I love the 14 year old rum cask finish. Now if only there’d bottle it at 46% and remove any cosmetic colorant...

Great, honest review. I gather a virgin oak finish should be checked almost daily due to its immediate effects. Cheers Ralfy🥃🥃🥃🥃

Ha, a Smiths shout out 😁🎵

The Balvenie, good stuff.

I picked one of these up today for around $70 in NM, USA... and you are correct about all the flavors. It's a bit on the heavy / strong side. Gotta say I did not prefer it. On the flip side, the shop I go to has a selection of around 250 different whisky from Japan to Islay. And I have actually seen many of the ones you have reviewed.

Just watched this review, and while I love Ralphy, I do find his scoring very inconsistent. This Is clearly better than whisky such as anything from The Jura stable, Glenlivet Founders, Highland Park, Ardmore just to name a few rubbish ones to compare to.

I was waiting for Ralfy to throw the DAMN BOTTLE at his Bothy’s wall! 🤣🤣🤣

It is obvious why bourbon doesn't need to age as long as malt. As for sherried malts, to me they season them so much as to make them sickly sweet. Auchentoshan 12 and Glenfarclas 12 seems sweeter than 7 years ago. I prefer Laphroaig and Ardbeg these days. I'm sure my palette has changed as well.

Excellent review. Honesty and Integrity is important in Whisky and reviews. Personally the Balvenies I’ve tried have been way to thin and boring for the price.

@ 7:12 Ralfy says "trying to escape the wood monster..." Best line ever! I can't wait to use it for uhmmm... something else😈

Now I can’t wait to see Ardbeg 5 review. Bottled at 47.4%. Non chill-filtered, natural color. Grabbed one for 50$ but haven’t opened it yet.

I have found many virgin oak bottlings to be very in your face... but not in a great way. Suck on a popsicle stick and you have the same flavor profile. Lol. I like your comment regarding using virgin oak staves throughout the makeup of a cask! Think of all the names they could give it then... (THREE STAVE VIRGIN OAK TRIPPLE MATURED BATCH 12.9876)....

Would be great if they ressurected Convalmore - a lost distillery next door to Balvenie, that they own - that would be 'An aMazing Mature Malt Rescue'

Never bought a bottle of this and now I’m glad I hadn’t. Totally agree that distillers are getting too cute and gimmicky with casks these days. I’m sure saving a buck comes into picture as well. That’s why we are seeing so many rum cask experiments perhaps

10 yrs ago this had so much more character. The recent bottle I bought was disappointing. I wasn’t sure whether it left me due to poorer quality or if my taste preferences had changed (drinking more peated whisky) and I had left it in my past. Probably a bit of both - but this confirms that the current bottling is not up to previous standards.

I was a big fan too. But now it’s just too expensive compared to other comparable malts which are cheaper and bottled at a higher strength.

thank you for an honest review . i dont want to spend money for something someone else , like you ( who has drank a lot more than me ) doesnt like. mike

Ralfy dear, don't even think about apologising for giving an inferior malt its deserved mark, because it sounded like you almost wanted to cut Balvenie some slack for this s***** release (by speculating on alternative oak barrel sources they could have used). Props to you, sir, for calling out liquid bullshite for what it is (-or isn't).

Thanks for the great review. I enjoy Balvenie. They aren't my favorite but they are always a solid option. Well except in this case. I'll stick to their standard line.

Sad to see the 79, but I trust it's warranted. It's a shame-the 12yo Single Bourbon Barrel OB 46%vol is such a good drop!

Deanston Virgin Oak 👍

Another very honest review Ralfy!

"...it has sunk my boat completely." lol!!!

I hope the chill filtration swamp isn't as deep as the swamp in Washington D.C. because if it is I might just jump out the 2nd story window of my house. As ralfy would say, "I'm just sayin". I've finished my Glenfiddich and I'm going for a Laphroiag this weekend. Yumm (I think)

Man im glad i watched this first, i was just on my way to get a bottle of this..I think ill get something else....P.S I trust your personal oppinion, thats why im here...Thanks brother

Had a bottle of this recently. Thought much the same. Interesting use of QR code on the neck tag to link to a podcast episode, wasn't mentioned here sadly but a modern innovation I've not seen before.

Oscillate wildly Ralfy!

Very true! Ralfy you wee beastie!

Had a bottle, mixed most of it with ginger ale, which was actually quite pleasant.

You can get a 12 year old blend in the supermarket for less than £15 at the minute, so I'd rather have that in my tumbler after the golf. On a more serious note, I really think the distilleries in Scotland are worried about getting decent casks. The American craft whiskey makers are competing for the ex-bourbon barrels and the good sherry butts are even harder to source. Maybe one answer would be for a distillery to make a grain whisky and age it completely in a good quality new charred oak casks and then use those for single malt. Would this be a viable option?

First Balvenie I have tried and I wish I had watched your review before buying it ... It will be a long time before I buy another bottle from Balvenie

That’s was a brutal review. I’m definitely ok with it but just bought a bottle a few weeks back. It’s definitely different. I’ll tell you what’s been disappointing is their new week of peat. Not really peaty. It’s enjoyable but not what I was hoping for. Also seems to me Scotland should have a few more requirements to add to bottles such as if it was chill filtered or not, color added etc. I’d just prefer to know what’s exactly in the bottle.

lol. I knew this was going to be rough, but Jeezzzus, Ralfy. I've never seen you make that face before 😂😂

I've felt this way about multiple Balvenies in the past.

Thank you! I have think of buying it but now nope and ita 76£ in Norway. Thank you so much agan. Stay safe

Trying to escape the wood monster 😂

This was a bottling made by David Stewart's apprentice, who is only 25. Hopefully she can learn from this and improve.

Just before watching this, I was tasting a flight including (well, actually starting with) the Balvenie 15 (current, generally available version). So, I poured another 100ml for the video. 12 or 15 don’t seem to differ too much.The main problem I have is that they add colour. Maybe the woodmonster is a bit less there. But it still is detectable … Adding water - - the same.Not quite as harsh. I think this is a whisky that could one day become great atain - however, I might use it as an example of maltyness. plus - of f*ing course wood.

Oh no. Poor Balvenie. this is going to be rough

Thank you for the review. Is it the first time we see 79/100? I came across a bottle of High Coast Distillery Berg, and experienced similar "too woody" moment. It was heavily sherry influence, but the bitterness was over the top. How to deal with overcooked whisky? I added a few drop of Caol Ila 12 in a dram, and it does help to distract the woody flavor and make it more palatable. Maybe blending is the answer.

79!... The first seventies mark I've seen you give!!!!! New ground has been broken.

The triple wood was similarly disappointing especially at the price. The double wood, the Caribbean cask all very acceptable.

Ralfy, I would love to see you review Whiskey Del Bac. A distillery in Tuscon Arizona that smokes their malt with mesquite wood instead of peat.

The legend has it that malt marks under 80 are kept in separate vault. And the vault has been opened...

More of a mood type scotch. Its great but ya gotta be in the mood for it

Ralfy's face at 8:39 says it all, one to avoid me thinks

Hi Ralfy, how do you think a second use of those casks will work out? I’m guessing it should be quite similar to ex-bourbon casks, no? This might be a good source of casks after all. Also would a blend of this one with a whisky from a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th use of the same casks perhaps be more balanced?

Canadian Oak is difficult to source, it's highly regarded by wine producers

Hey ralfy, got my hands on the new ardbeg 5yo and was pleasantly surprised, it’s priced as you’d expect for a young whisky and they’ve even gone so far as to remove packaging- bottle only. Would love to hear your thoughts on it, I tasted it in the shop along with the ardbeg Blaaack bottling which is non age statement and 4 times the price. 5yo for the winning ribbon

I just tried it for the first time, I’m a big fan! Agree to disagree 😁

Balvenie 12 was my first whisky. I really liked it. But as I got more experience, the less I liked it. I tried other Balvenies since then and they are awful... that's just my opinion though.

I decided to give Balvenie a try after I watched the late Anthony Bourdaine's videos. So I bought an $80 bottle of SIngle Barrel 12 Y/O bottled at 47.8 ABV. Being in the Good Old USA the price was inflated by Trumps revenge tariff. Color looks naturalish, no statement about filtering so I guess it was. Although not as bad as this expression, i will not buy another and it is much more patatible with ICE !

I was also not a fan of this bottling. Felt thin to me. Just not to my taste. Also won’t be buying another bottle. Spot on review. Cheers.

Some of The Balvenie Tun 1401 bottlings were absolutely stunning (and not that expensive at original retail price). So it's a bit disappointing to see them bottling things like this.

Lovely. I think at the end of the day what is important is asking yourself , would I buy another bottle ? if the answer is No, there you have it

i had recently bought a bottle of their 12 year triple cask. I thought there was too much going on and was not enjoyable.

79 papermark was made that day:)

Watching this video with a dram of Springbank 10 in my hand.

Sounds like the explosion in whyskey sales coupled with a drop in other spirits hasn't been good for scotch distillers who rely on used casks.

I wonder if this could be a bad batch bottle since many reviews in the WhiskyBase don't even mention these overpowering wood notes. Oh well.

I have not bought a single Balvenie since 1999-2001 time period . . . since 1995, I had a total of 2 bottles of 15 single cask. . . WAY , WAY over-priced at 150$CAD ( 100 UKP) in 2022 for the Toasted-12 . Sad, really.

Ahhh...now there’s the Wee Beastie!

I don't think the virgin American oak casks are the problem. Take Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon, for example - this excellent, mellow, sweet bourbon goes into the heavily toasted, lightly charred casks from new American oak barrels not once, but twice - and is not at all astringent, bitter, nor brutal. There must be some problem with the production process.

Would it be good as a blending whisky for under aged whisky?

Is there a Scotch than is aged in fresh oak barrels? Unlike this one that was first aged in used barrels then put in a fresh barrel. I enjoy Bourbon and would be interested how a Scotch would turn out being aged the same way.