<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2284" title="balvenie 14 year caribbean cask bottle" src="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/balvenie-14-year-caribbean-cask-bottle.jpg" alt="" width="615" height="290" />

Last week, the MANjr team attended the LA launch of Balvenie's 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask, an extra smooth single malt scotch that starts it's life in a whisky barrel and finishes up in a golden Caribbean rum cask.

The Cuban/Carribean-themed tasting event took place at La Descarga, a nifty bar that igve you a taste of old Havana in Hollywood. The entrance to the venue set the tone for the night. After climbing up some stairs you walk into a plain looking office room and are greeted by a host. The host then opens up a cabinet door and instructs you to enter. After you push aside some Hawaiian shirts you see a metallic spiral staircase in front of you that descends into a chill bar/lounge with an intimate speakeasy vibe.

A special cocktail menu was prepared that featured six different scotch concoctions. After sampling the light and breezy Scotsman, I shifted my attention to the Blood and Sand. I sipped quite a few drinks that night, but this cocktail was by far my favorite.

A quick journey to the back of the bar revealed a walkway to a much appreciated, semi-outdoor cigar lounge where the awesome Aussie bartender was serving up single-malt tasters of Balvenie 14, 15 and 17 year blends. The Balvenie Caribbean Cask was a smooth vehicle, but I enjoyed the entire Balvenie fleet.

After knocking back a few drinks, it was time to grab a snack. The event was catered by a fantastic food truck. XXX  had great coffee, delicious sandwiches and they even incorporated the Caribbean Cask action into some custom sauces that totally completed the sandwich.

The quality scotch and savory Cuban food were both big hits, but the highlight of the night was the 5-minute presentation by Nicholas Pollacchi, the Balvenie Ambassador. I’ve been to scotch tastings before where the ambassador of the spirit lays it down real thick. Like you really have a palette sophisticated enough to identify 35 different complimentary combinations of aromatic mixological madness. Pollacchi's approach was much better. A quick word on the spirit and a