Head to head · same category, comparable price
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old vs The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
No flavour axis separates these two, so the choice is price and occasion.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Speyside, Scotland | Speyside, Scotland |
| Age | 12 years | 12 years |
| Strength | 43% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon barrel, Oloroso sherry butt | Ex-bourbon American oak, Oloroso sherry-seasoned American oak |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £50 | £72 |
| Per 10cl | £7.14 | £10 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £166 | £257 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Both Speyside whiskies, from different distilleries.
Both state 12 years.
Cask as each producer describes it: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old in ex-bourbon barrel and oloroso sherry butt, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask in ex-bourbon american oak and oloroso sherry-seasoned american oak.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask is £22 dearer a bottle than The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old.
Strength keeps that ordering: £166 a litre of pure alcohol for The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old against £257.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is 22nd cheapest and The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask 29th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 0 |
| Sweet | 8 | 7 |
| Fruity | 6 | 6 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 5 |
| Sherried | 6 | 7 |
| Cereal | 5 | 4 |
| Oily | 6 | 6 |
No axis reaches the 3-point gap we call meaningful. Widest is sweet, 8 against 7.
Identical on peaty, fruity, spicy, woody and oily.
Each bottle in its own right
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet without being cloying, and 43% helps.
Full record →The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
Butterscotch, orange and a dry oak finish. Polished and very easy to like.
Full record →Both listed for gift; only The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old for after dinner; only The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask for introduction to sherry cask.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old and The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask: thebalvenie.com, themacallan.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.