European

Whisky Waffle presents: EuroWaffle

Posted by: Nick and Ted

Night 5 Eurowaffle

HAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOO EUROPE (and Australia)!!!

It is that time of year again where the entire Continent (and Australia) gathers together in the name of peace, love and whisky.

This year six nations will be competing to take out the 2018 EuroWaffle Whisky Contest, pitting talent, taste and Continental good looks against each other in the world’s most dram-atic contest. As usual, the night will be conducted with the highest integrity, with whiskies judged on their merit rather than for cheap political advantage.

This year the contest will be held in the country of Chapelonia, which stunned the world last year with their winning entry My Hipsters Don’t Lie performed by bearded sensation Andreai. Amongst the crowd will be several past winners, including Lordi (devils for a dram), Conchita (maker of Bearded Lady Moonshine), Alexander Rybak (who matures spirit in his violins) and those old ladies from Russia (you can make more than just bread with barley).

To get into the spirit of the night, the audience is encouraged to slip into their best Eurovision-inspired attire; there may even be a prize for the best dressed!

Tickets for EuroWaffle cost $40 and are available HERE or at trybooking.com. This will cover six European whiskies and cheese platters.

So come along and help us celebrate goodwill between nations and petty political point scoring while Eurovision provides us the perfect excuse to drink obscure European whiskies while dressed up as ABBA.

What: Whisky Waffle Presents: EuroWaffle

When: Saturday the 12th of May at 7.30pm

Where: The Chapel, Burnie

Who: The people of Europe

Why: Because Australia is part of Europe (apparently)

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Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood

Reviewed by: Nick and Ted

Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old Whisky Waffle

Double the wood, double the fun! Just getting into whisky? Think you might like to give one of those new-fangled single malts a try? Can’t afford the Glenfiddich 50yo? Roll up and try the multi-barrelled, malty-talented whisky wizard, the one, the only: the Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood! It’ll cure all your woes*!

* Side effects may include becoming compulsive about seeking out single malts, and mild discomfort in the presence of blends.

Balvenie is a member of the the William Grant & Sons stable, and is the less famous sister to Glenfiddich. Balvenie prides itself on continuing to use traditional hand malting methods, and is well respected for its high quality range of whiskies. Chief amongst these is the 12yo DoubleWood, a dram that has converted many a whisky novice.

There is a good reason for the DoubleWood moniker: while it spends the majority of its life in American oak, for the last few months of maturation the spirit is transferred to sherry butts. This technique imparts the range of flavour that makes this whisky special and means that there is something in it for everyone.

This variety of flavour is immediately evident on the nose with sweeter notes of caramel, fruit leather and vanilla pairing with a citrusy tang reminiscent of lemon drops, and aromatic spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon.

The flavour is very broad and rounded across the palate. There is an initial hit of oranges, followed by spicy ginger and buttery shortbread. The sherry influence is definitely present in the finish. Dried fruits such as figs, prunes and dates can be found, and a tasty flourish of old English toffee is left on the tongue at the end.

The Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood is exceptionally smooth for its age, and is also excellent value for this level of quality. For experienced whisky drinkers there is so much to like here and it warrants repeated tastings (for research purposes, naturally). For those just beginning their journey, the DoubleWood provides an ideal gateway to the broader whisky world. So line up ladies and gents, there’s enough for everybody. You won’t be disappointed!

★★★★