Balvenie 20yo d.1972 (46%, Direct Wines (Windsor) Limited First Cask, C#14734): nose: a deliciously delicate delight (ta-da!) This nose is at once flowery and fruity, with just a scent of baked goodies to boost. We have forsythia, daffodils, tulips, plums, nectarines, grapefruit peel and silky custard, all gently coming through. Further nosing reveals berries as well, perhaps gooseberry jelly and deeper shades of plums (deep purple replacing the yellow ones from earlier). Later on, we find scented erasers and strawberry paste. Lovely! The second nose appears sweeter, serving apricots, now -- squashed and in turnovers. Some of those apricots still have their stone; watch your teeth! More seriously, it means a slight bitterness. Mouth: this has more bite than the nose made me expect. It is a mix of wood spices (ginger and galangal shavings leading the way) and acidic alcohol more typical of barely-mature spirit than it is of a twenty-something whisky. Chewing it for a while unveils plasticine, bitterness and all, and wood paste. It is certainly a step up from the initial immature spirit, mind. A minuscule amount of peppermint shows up in the form of a gel. The second sip has a better balance, still acidic in a grape-pip-vinegar sort of way, yet that is now only one aspect amongst others, rather than what dominates. Crisp apple, plump grapes and green hazel wood sing in unison. Finish: the woody tones live on, with a Bourbon-cask-induced butterscotch, mocha fudge, Scottish tablet, and still a residual bitterness that could be associated with peppermint paste. Further sipping adds caramel to the equation, more burnt sugar than the sweet coulis one pours on flan. A bit too much burnt sugar, actually: that ends up overshadowing the above with an almost-charred layer. Grilled grapefruit peel, maybe -- grilled to a blackened heap of char. The nose is by far the best feature, here. I loved it almost a year ago. Today, it is only... 7/10
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