Pairing Balvenie Single Barrel with Lorenzo il Magnifico

The Whiskey: Balvenie Single Barrel

Our pick for this month hails from Dufftown, Scotland, where Balvenie Distillery has been operating for 133 years. Balvenie is one of the foundational Speyside distilleries, and I’ve never had a bad offering from them. This particular bottle is a single barrel offering, opening itself up to some variation between barrels, but I trust that each barrel is producing delicious stuff.

On the nose, I’m immediately struck by a level of richness and complexity that’s hard to describe in words. I drink a lot of good whiskey, and this nose manages to stand out as uniquely intricate and delicious. It manages to be rich yet airy, packing a heavy punch yet walking lightly. The initial note that strikes me is honey, dripping and rich. This is followed by something like wildflowers along with deep vanilla. After some more nosing, I find lighter notes like orange zest, granny smith apple peel, and milk chocolate. The proof also packs a nice punch without being aggressive. There’s a ton to explore here and I will happily continue to do so.

On the palate, that theme of richness continues, but the airiness drops away – this is just delicious! Rich chocolate and vanilla flavors roll over my tongue like waves – fudge, chocolate chip cookies, vanilla icing. The proof provides a great support to the flavors and enhances some – there’s a honey note that transforms into hot honey (if you’ve never had it do yourself and favor and change that), along with the emergence of seared pineapple. Finally, after some searching, I find a subtle note that tastes almost like coffee, offering a nice counterbalance to the sweetness. 

The finish extends on as long as you’d expect for a pour like this. Just ages of flavor. The notes coalesce down to the vanilla primarily, with that subtle coffee note becoming not so subtle. 

There will be no mincing of words – this is delicious. 

The Game: Lorenzo il Magnifico

Lorenzo il Magnifico is resource-management, worker-placement euro themed around the great Renaissance families in Italy. In Lorenzo, each player is trying to maneuver their family into the most fame and fortune by obtaining land, participating in military conquest, supporting the church, and so on. These various concepts are represented by cards that the players purchase and position onto their own player board. Mechanically, the game takes place over 6 rounds, in which each player takes turns sending workers to various actions. These actions require resources such as wood, stone, and gold, which are hard to come by at the beginning of the game. Additionally, as a prominent Italian family, it is expected that you support the Pope. If you don’t, your family will be punished accordingly in the form of losing points or resources, losing turn order, or other unsavory things.  If a player isn’t careful, he can easily run dry on resources and put himself in a bad position very early.

Playing Lorenzo can be an incredibly punishing experience, but also deeply rewarding when played well. Lorenzo rewards repeat plays with the same players and is really unlocked when a player is able to plan into future rounds, which requires knowledge and skill. Players must be able to manage their limited resources, turn order, the Pope’s demands, and their workers in a way that not only keeps themselves from running dry of resources but creates prosperity for themselves. Other players’ actions will block your plans, and this also must be accounted for. Ultimately, this difficulty means that when played well, there aren’t very many more satisfying games out there. Like Brass: Birmingham, On Mars, and Barrage, Lorenzo creates a playing experience that is elevated by its tightness. This may scare some players off and its definitely not for everyone, but for those with the slight sense of masochism needed to love these games, it’s a hit.