Here is the dram we skipped last week.
Balvenie 32yo 1966/1998 (42.1%, OB Vintage Cask, C#6432, 264b, b#36): nose: this is a side of Balvenie I am less familiar with, but one that brings a smile of satisfaction. It bursts with mango, Galia melon, papaya, persimmon and ripe peaches. It has nectarines too, less prominent. A few jasmine buds speckle the surface of that fruit juice, soon joined by a pinch of finely-ground white pepper. Time adds other fruits, such as green grapes, guava and carambola. Maybe it has timid citrus zest and, at last, a minute amount of berries. The second nose is rather different: gone are the fruits, replaced by herbs in a pine clearing. Fresh mint, tarragon, marjoram, lemon thyme and pine needles all combine to form a gel, ready to be injected into hard-shelled sweets. Mouth: mellow, unctuous and seemingly accessible, it has pouring custard with a drop of pressed fruits, some unripe as to impart a minor bitterness. We find a lick of metal too, stainless steel or aluminium. Chewing adds a gorgeous hazelnut paste, sweet, unctuous and bitter, but the fruits come out fast and strong -- carambola, guava, chayote served on a metal plate. It has a dash of chicory infusion too, which is even more unexpected. The second sip is as mellow, probably a tad more acidic. We now have citrus pulp blended with a spoonful of yoghurt -- pink grapefruit, pomelo, blush orange. We really go from white-green tropical fruits to pink-reddish citrus. Finish: if the alcohol felt modest on the palate, it kicks harder here. No violence, or anything; simply, one can feel the heat, a little, amongst the fruity, syrupy goodness. It could probably be likened to stem ginger. Beside are hazelnut paste, galangal purée, lemongrass-fueled celeriac mash, timid milk chocolate, lukewarm custard. Behind all that, smashed carambola and guava steadily rise. That all makes for a creamy finish with a bitter nuance. The second gulp feels more quaffable, better integrated, and a notch fruitier. It remains creamy, but the hazelnut paste is almost overrun by lovely citrus; Shaddock, pink grapefruit, Oroblanco, Ugli fruit. Fantastic. 9/10
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