DoubleWood 12 was launched in 1993, using a process designed by our Malt Master David Stewart in 1982, now commonly known as 'wood finishing'. To make The Balvenie DoubleWood, David Stewart MBE takes whisky that has spent at least 12 years in traditional whisky casks, American Oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads, and moves it to Spanish oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks for an additional nine months. The whisky is then transferred to large oak vessels called “tuns” for 3-4 months to allow the whiskies from individual casks to “marry”. The Balvenie DoubleWood single malt whisky gains its distinctive character from being matured in two different wood types. Each stage lends different qualities to the resulting single malt whisky.

Buckle up. Bushmills Single Malt Whiskey 16 year old is is truly one of the great whiskeys of the world. Aged for about 15 years in a combination of Oloroso Sherry and bourbon-seasoned casks, and then finished for about 9 months in port wine pipes (large barrels unique to making port wine.) This single malt shows its layers of flavor, juicy fruits, nuts and spice, as well as a hint of ruby redness. It's best enjoyed neat. Okay, maybe one small cube of ice to open it up.