Finish: Not very long, but dynamic. White chocolate, licorice, charcoal, pecan, caramel, vanilla, maraschino cherries, sugar cane, barley, hay, and a touch of salt. There should be no surprise that I find this Balvenie to be INCREDIBLY sweet. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that The Caribbean Cask would fit in perfectly in your average bourbon tasting. If you’re a bourbon guy looking for something similar in the malt whisky world, look no further (well, I guess you could look slightly further to the Glenmorangie Nector D’or). I have to be in the mood for something this sweet. Still, this certainly has its place within the lineup of what continues to be my distillery of choice.

Palate: Sweet and metallic on entry. Ever-so-light buttery toffee, and then the sugarcane sparkles: saccharine but without the sweetness, perhaps like starfruit... or maybe silvery stardust. Nose: Quite light. Sugarcane and under-ripe nectarine, then some unsalted butter intensifying with time. Overall clean and fresh, not spicy. Like the nose, the sweetness takes a bit of time to really arrive in the mouth. Unlike the nose, water detracts somewhat here. But you get the same juicy, well-balanced maltiness, uncluttered by any peat or sherry or even rum, for that matter. It spreads across the tongue in stages, becoming increasingly sweet and then increasingly dry as the oak takes hold. This is not a fruity Speyside by any means. It reminds me more than anything of the fifteen year old Single Barrel Balvenie from years ago, and that is a very good thing. Revisiting my favorite brand once again, I’ll be reviewing the Balvenie’s 14 Year Caribbean Cask. My father asked me if I wanted to have a dram of this recently while I was visiting for dinner. Who I am to disrespect my elders? This is one of only a few whiskies my father has ever liked enough to buy for himself and I know exactly why. He’s got a bit of a sweet tooth so this is a perfect fit.

What next?

In 1892, work commenced on Balvenie New House, an 18th-century mansion, to transform it into a distillery, and a year later, in May 1983, the first Balvenie single malt was distilled. And thanks to @ WhiskyBee for recommending this. His review recommends substantial breathing time, so I have allowed a small sealed sample breath for a couple weeks: My first bottle of the Caribbean Cask was a congratulatory gift from a friend upon the birth of my daughter. Everyone I shared it with at the time drank it neat and loved it, and I've bought two bottles since. There have been visits from friends where literally the first words out of their mouths as they enter the house have been, "Do you have the Caribbean Cask?" It is easily one of the smoothest whiskeys I've ever had, and many others have echoed this sentiment.

Finish2: Unfortunately I preferred it before, because that metallic note (rum?) hangs on, with some green lime. Still fairly light, but I think less balanced. (The earlier cocoa-exhale is now more like wheat bread.) Nose: typical clean Balvenie base malt with a sweet overlay, and more than the usual amount of wood influence for a Balvenie of its age. Easy, gentle, pleasant. Typical Balvenie citrus with a hint of grassiness. My first full bottle did not start out as an integrated product, but became very tasty after the bottle was open about a month. All other samples I have tasted were quite good from the start. Water added adds some nice sweet high-pitched notes. Very nice nose with water. Score: 21.5/25

Categories

The 14 year old Caribbean Cask by Balvenie gave some mixed emotions. Yet it has a rum-like dryness, but in the other hand it is very sweet. Like a roller coaster ride of good and not so good aromas and taste. Interestingly enough, couple of days before tasting this Balvenie, I had tried a sample of Ron Matusalem 15 year old Gran Reserva rum. I have to admit that the taste of those two felt similar. The influence of the rum is evident.

This is an apparently relatively new addition to this distillery's standard range (I think since around 2010). It is a blend of 12 year old malts matured separately in ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso casks, which are finished together for a further two years in ex-Carribean rum casks (the rum in the casks is itself a combination of select West Indian rums blended by Malt Master David Stewart). The Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky is aged in traditional oak casks for a minimum of fourteen years. Following its initial beautyrest, the Scotch whisky is double-barreled, or finished, in casks that were previously used to mature a Caribbean rum. While Scotch whiskies are traditionally finished in port or sherry casks, only a select handful of whiskies are finished in rum casks, as they impart more tropical flavors to whisky as compared to wine casks, and contribute to a more unique flavor profile. The finish lingers on for a while, medium, and the roasted elements come to the forefront. Like the scrapings of a burnt toast of brown bread left for too long.Sweet and rich dark plum notes surround gentle caresses of vanilla and cinnamon. Raw sugar cane adds sweetness to the whole ordeal. Wonderful nose. Holy spicy! Honey, sugar and caramel sweetness abound. Wow… With water, the fruit comes forward a lot. The spicy sweetness doesn't go ANYWHERE though. This whisky is seriously liquid dessert. The whisky earned the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2011, and earned the Gold Medal at the International Review of Spirits Competition. In addition, it earned a score of 91 points from the Beverage Testing Institute.