The Balvenie Distillery (William Grant & Sons)
The Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky · 14 Years (finished in rum casks)
David Stewart's genius idea: finish 14-year Scotch in West Indian rum casks. The result is the sweetest, most approachable single malt you'll ever sip.
Rating Breakdown
Flavor Profile
Tasting Journey
Nose
Tropical banana, passion fruit, vanilla, toffee, coconut, orange peel, sweet dried fruit, subtle oak
Palate
Sweet brown sugar, English toffee, vanilla, mango, pear, caramel, oily mouthfeel, honey, vanilla bean ice cream
Finish
Length: LongLong vanilla character, dates, lingering rum sweetness, black tea, gentle oily warmth
Specs
Price / Value
MSRP: $80
Your Rating
Click to rate
Our Score: 87/100
Pairings
Food
- Banana foster
- crème brûlée
- tropical fruit tart
- coconut desserts
- vanilla ice cream
Cocktails
- Neat or on a single large ice cube. Rob Roy with sweet vermouth.
Our Verdict
Balvenie Caribbean Cask is a vacation in a bottle—sweet, tropical, and impossibly smooth. David Stewart's rum-cask finishing creates the most approachable 14-year single malt you'll ever sip.
The Balvenie Caribbean Cask represents one of the most brilliant experiments in modern Scotch whisky. Malt master David Stewart—who has been with Balvenie for over 60 years—had a deceptively simple idea: age whisky for 14 years in traditional oak, then finish it in casks that previously held West Indian rum. The result is a whisky so smooth, sweet, and approachable that it has become one of the world's most popular cask-finished single malts.
The Balvenie is one of only seven distilleries that still operates its own malting floor, and the only one that practices all five "rare crafts" including growing barley, malting, cooperage, and coppersmithing on-site. That commitment to craft is evident in every sip.
The nose is immediately tropical: banana, passion fruit, vanilla, toffee, and coconut create an aroma that's more Caribbean beach than Scottish glen. There's orange peel, sweet dried fruit, and just a whisper of oak beneath the rum-cask sweetness. It's remarkably inviting.
On the palate, Caribbean Cask delivers a sweet, creamy experience. Brown sugar and English toffee coat the tongue, followed by vanilla, mango, pear, and hints of caramel. The mouthfeel is oily and rich, with honey and vanilla bean ice cream creating a dessert-like mid-palate. At 43% ABV, it drinks effortlessly—perhaps too effortlessly for the cautious pourer.
The finish is long with a vanilla-focused character, hints of dates, and lingering rum sweetness. There's a subtle black tea note and a gentle oily warmth that closes things beautifully.
At $70-90, the Caribbean Cask is an excellent value for a 14-year-old single malt, especially one this approachable. It's the whisky equivalent of a first-class upgrade—luxurious, comfortable, and designed to make everyone smile.
