Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood
The trick with the Balvenie 21 PortWood is restraint. The whisky spends 21 years in ex-bourbon barrels, then malt master David Stewart hand-selects casks to move into 30-year-old port pipes for a final spell, long enough to lend fruit and colour but never so long that the port swamps the distillery's light, honeyed character. Judging when to stop is the whole art.
Balvenie sits in Dufftown in Speyside and is one of the few distilleries still growing some of its own barley, running its own floor maltings and keeping coppersmiths and coopers on site. That old-fashioned self-sufficiency shows up as texture: this is a rounded, unhurried Speyside malt that carries its 21 years lightly.
On the nose you get crisp berries, sticky raisins, soft butterscotch and a thread of aniseed. The palate is medium-bodied with a lovely resinous port note up front, balsamic and cherry cola sitting alongside dried fruit and gentle oak. The finish runs medium-long, fresh and dried berries balanced by a little bitter herb and a light tannic grip from the pipes. At 40% it is soft and welcoming; I would try it neat before reaching for water.
A dram for the end of a good dinner, when you want something with age and polish but nothing heavy.
How to Serve
Neat in a tulip glass or Glencairn. It is already delicate at 40%, so water is rarely needed; a single drop is plenty if you want to open the fruit.
Where to Drink It
Milroy's of Soho, where the staff will happily talk you through the port-cask style. Boisdale, for a Speyside dram in a room that suits it. The American Bar at The Savoy, if you want the occasion to match the bottle.
Food Pairings
Lovely with a plate of dried figs and toasted walnuts, or a slice of dark cherry Bakewell if you are feeling indulgent.
