The process of crafting The Balvenie PortWood Aged 21 Years involves transferring select Balvenie whiskies to port casks that previously contained exquisite port wines. This unique combination is carefully monitored by The Balvenie Malt Master, who samples it periodically to ensure that the port casks infuse the single malt with just the right amount of character, enriching its flavors while preserving its distinctive qualities. 

TASTING NOTES

Nose: A perfume of fruity and ripe raisin notes, backed by a nutty dryness

Taste: Refined with remarkable character, it is creamy and silky with fruit, honey and spice notes.

Finish: Long, gentle, nutty.

The Balvenie DoubleWood is a 12 year old single malt which gains its distinctive character from being matured in two wood types. Over the period of maturation it is transferred from a traditional oak whisky cask to a first fill European oak sherry cask. Each stage lends different qualities to the resulting single malt ~ the traditional casks soften and add character, whilst the sherry wood brings depth and fullness of flavor.


Nose: Sweet fruit and Oloroso sherry notes, layered with honey and vanilla.
Taste: Smooth and mellow with beautifully combined flavours ~ nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness and a delicately proportioned layer of sherry.
Finish: Long and Warming

Bottle Size: 750ml

Caribbean Cask has been matured in traditional oak whisky casks for 14 years, and then finished in casks that previously held Caribbean rum. To create the ideal finish, Malt Master David Stewart filled American oak casks with his own blend of select West Indian rums. When he judged the casks to be ready, the rum was replaced with the 14 year old spirit and the wood was put to work adding the final touches. The result is an exceptional single malt whisky with the traditional smooth, honeyed character of The Balvenie, married with notes of toffee and a hint of fruit, with a warm, lingering finish.

TASTING NOTES
Nose: Rich, sweet and creamy toffee on the nose combines with fresh fruit notes
Taste: Rounded with vanilla and sweet oak notes, with a fruity character that develops with time
Finish: Soft and lingering

Bottle Size: 750ml

The Balvenie French Oak is a vibrant single malt finished in casks previously held wine from the French Charentes vineyards.

Pineau des Charentes is a fortified wine made from unfermented grape juice, to which a Cognac eau-de-vie is added and then matured. Pineau us also found as a home-made product in the neighbouring Deau-Sevres and Vendee departements.

The Balvenie USA brand ambassador Lorne Cousin suggested Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE explore these casks after a trip to the region with his family where he fondly remembers sipping an aperitif.

This is the first of The Balvenie finishes to explore French Oak. Pineau is akin to cognac in terms of production and flavour, allowing us to capitalise on the rise of this flavour profile and its premium credentials.

Tasting Notes

NOSE: Beautifully balanced light floral notes from lotus and geranium flowers dance between hints of fresh meadow grass and pealed apple skin.

TASTE: An energising zing from tangy lemon rind and grapefruit meet the delicate subtle sweetness of glazed fruits and spice from root ginger.

FINISH: Refreshingly concise.

This particular Sherry Oak maturation whisky is the result of years of curiosity and learning, but our story begins with an unexpected discovery even longer ago.

An Unexpected Discovery
Oak casks were used to transport whisky, and by the time it reached its destination, the whisky would have taken on some of the depth and richness of whatever liquid these casks once held. Storage in certain casks became a conscious rather than circumstantial choice.

The Result: A familiar honey smoothness revealing layers of spice, intense ripe fruits like freshly baked Christmas cake. Giving way to a chewy fig, and a long creamy, nutty finish.

The Story of Revelation of Cask and Character
This is a story of expertise, intuition, and the craft of Coopering - as old as whisky itself. This particular sherry Oak maturation is the result of years of curiosity and learning, but our story begins with an unexpected discovery even longer ago…

The use of casks in whisky was supposedly an accidental revelation. If you believe the folklore, hundreds of years ago, Oak casks were used to transport whisky across the British Isles. By the time it reached its destination, the whisky would have taken on some of the depth and richness of whatever liquid these casks once held. And so, storage in certain casks became a conscious rather than circumstantial choice. Over time, the use of Oak casks became instrumental in the quality and final flavour of the whisky. Our Head Cooper Ian McDonald knows this all too well, having worked with his team and his tools for over 50 years.

The Balvenie's 15 year old Single Barrel Sherry Cask has been matured exclusively in a single European oak sherry butt for at least 15 years. The 15-year maturation in a cask that has previously held Oloroso sherry creates a single malt characterized by dried fruit richness, nuttiness and spice. No more than 650 hand-numbered bottles are drawn from each sherry butt and each bottle carries the number of the cask in which it was matured.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: Rich with elegant oak and subtle spice.

Taste: Dried fruits are overlaid with a gentle nuttiness.

Finish: Long and sherried.

To create Batch One of only 150 bottles of The Balvenie Forty, Malt Master David Stewart has skilfully married together small amounts of The Balvenie matured in 4 refill hogsheads and 3 sherry butts that have lain in our warehouses for at least forty years.

TASTING NOTES
Nose: Rich oak notes overlaid with baked apple, stewed fruits and soft leather. The addition of a little water releases sweet fruit notes and hints of vanilla.
Taste: Silky texture delivers a beautifully mouth-coating sweetness and a spicy sensation of cloves, cinnamon and ginger. The flavor develops into a gentle oakiness with hints of dark chocolate, roasted almonds and sherried fruitiness.
Finish: Rich, warming and slightly dry.

Bottle Size: 750ml

This Single Barrel expression from The Balvenie has been aged for 12 years in a first fill Bourbon cask of a single distillation. While each cask is subtly different, The Balvenie Malt Master hand selects only those casks characterized by sweetness and subtle vanilla oak to be bottled as The Balvenie Single Barrel. Each bottling forms a limited edition of no more than 300 hand-numbered bottles drawn from a single cask, making each bottle unique and unrepeatable. The Balvenie Single Barrel 12 Year old is bottled at the higher strength of 47.8% ABV.

TASTING NOTES
Nose: Honey notes are overlaid with sweet fruits and subtle spices.
Taste: Rich and complex with a deep vanilla oakiness.
Finish: Lingeringly sweet.

Bottle Size: 750ml

Born in December 1839, William Grant became a cattle herder at the age of 7 in order to supplement his family's income. As a teenager, Grant apprenticed as a cobbler and a clerk, and in 1866, he joined Mortlach Distillery as a bookkeeper. For the next two decades, Grant managed the affairs at the distillery, while secretly learning the art of distillation. In 1886, he resigned from his position as distillery manager and bought a field beneath the towering shadows of Balvenie Castle, which he eventually converted into Balvenie Distillery. Today, Balvenie Distillery, situated in the Speyside region of Scotland, remains one of the most independent and prestigious distilleries in all of Scotland. Balvenie Single Malt Whisky is made from fresh, plump barley grown on Balvenie Mains, a 1,000 acre farm situated adjacent to the distillery (the farm has been the distillery's source for barley for over a century). After the barley is harvested, it is malted at the distillery with spring water sourced from the rolling Speyside hills that overlook the distillery. During the malting process, the barley is turned up to four times a day in order to ensure that it germinates evenly (Balvenie is the only single malt Scotch whisky distillery that continues to grow and malt its own barley). Once the barley has been malted, it is milled and mashed at the distillery before being fermented using a proprietary strain of yeast. Following fermentation, the wash is distilled twice, first through Balvenie's copper-pot wash still and then again through its copper-pot spirit still. "The most important reason for using a copper still,"explains Dennis McBain, Balvenie's coppersmith, "is that it acts as a catalyst. It removes any sulphur which may be carried over from the fermentation process prior to distillation." McBain, who joined Balvenie Distillery in 1959, is one of the oldest coppersmiths remaining in the industry. In addition, the size and shape of Balvenie's stills the stills' necks have unique boil balls that are nicknamed "Balvenie Bowls" results in Balvenie's signature bold and malty flavor profile. "The size and shape of the boil ball allow for the vapors to mix before continuing up the head,"explains McBain. "That helps make The Balvenie special." The Balvenie 17 Year Old Doublewood Single Malt Scotch Whisky was originally made in homage to David Stewart (Balvenie's Master Blender), who celebrated five decades of working at the distillery in 2012. Following distillation, The Balvenie 17 Year Old Doublewood matured in traditional, American oak casks before being double-barreled, or finished, in European oak casks that were previously used to mature sherry. As a result of spending seventeen years in oak casks, the whisky has deep notes of vanilla, green apple, and toffee. Aroma of oak, vanilla and green apple. Notes of dark fruits, raspberries, toasted almonds, coffee and butterscotch lead to a finish that is deep and lush, with notes of fruits mingled with spices. Balvenie 17 Year Old Doublewood earned a score of 95 points from The Tasting Panel Magazine, which said that the whisky had a "long, smooth toasty finish" that was "elegant." 

The Balvenie Distillery is just up the road from Glenfiddich on the north side of Dufftown smack dab in the middle of Speyside. Dufftown is also the home town of the Mortlach Distillery. And a young William Grant worked there at Mortlach for more than twenty years learning the distilling business. When he was ready to start out on his own, he bought the empty field and laid the foundation stone for The Balvenie in 1886. Still owned by William Grand & Sons, The Balvenie has long been a favorite of Speyside Whisky lovers. It's famous for producing Single Malts in the classic styles of the region light, fruit-forward, sweet, and clean without a trace of peat smoke. Balvenie took it a bit further, being one of the first to innovate with various double and triple-wood combinations to add complexity. All that adds to a large range of Single Malt agings and wood combinations to entertain the taste buds of fans all over the world. Balvenie Peat Week 2002 is the first vintage of a really interesting idea. It started as the brainchild of David Stewart Balvenie's malt master and whisky specialist Ian Miller. For one week each year they would distill peated Single Malt and thus turn the entire distillery on its head. Everything else stays the same, and the spirits is then aged in ex-Bourbon casks for a full fourteen years and bottled at 48.3% ABV. You can still taste the signature Balvenie Single Malt style notes of tropical fruits, honey, peaches, and vanilla. But now it also has a warm, earthy smoke flavor and aroma. It's Balvenie as youve never had it before, and still very different from the famous Islay peated spirits on the other side of Scotland. It's should be on the "must have" list of every Speyside and Balvenie fan. 

The Balvenie Distillery is just up the road from Glenfiddich on the north side of Dufftown smack dab in the middle of Speyside. Dufftown is also the home town of the Mortlach Distillery. And a young William Grant worked there at Mortlach for more than twenty years learning the distilling business. When he was ready to start out on his own, he bought the empty field and laid the foundation stone for The Balvenie in 1886. Still owned by William Grant & Sons, The Balvenie has long been a favorite of Speyside Whisky lovers. It's famous for producing Single Malts in the classic styles of the region light, fruit-forward, sweet, and clean without a trace of peat smoke. Balvenie took it a bit further, being one of the first to innovate with various double and triple-wood combinations to add complexity. All that adds to a large range of Single Malt agings and wood combinations to entertain the taste buds of fans all over the world. Released as a part of The Balvenie's Stories Collection, A Week of Peat is a reincarnation of the incredibly unique Balvenie Peat Week. Though recipe remains the same, it has been renamed to fit into the new Balvenie Stories collection. Balvenie Peat Week 2002 was the first vintage of a really interesting idea. It started as the brainchild of David Stewart Balvenie's malt master and whisky specialist Ian Miller. For one week each year they would distill peated Single Malt and thus turn the entire distillery on its head. Everything else stays the same, and the spirits are then aged in ex-Bourbon casks for a full fourteen years and bottled at 48.3% ABV. You can still taste the signature Balvenie Single Malt style notes of tropical fruits, honey, peaches, and vanilla. But now it also has a warm, earthy smoke flavor and aroma. It's Balvenie as youve never had it before, and still very different from the famous Islay peated spirits on the other side of Scotland. It's should be on the must have list of every Speyside and Balvenie fan. 

Born in December 1839, William Grant became a cattle herder at the age of 7 in order to supplement his family's income. As a teenager, Grant apprenticed as a cobbler and a clerk, and in 1866, he joined Mortlach Distillery as a bookkeeper. For the next two decades, Grant managed the affairs at the distillery, while secretly learning the art of distillation. In 1886, he resigned from his position as distillery manager and bought a field beneath the towering shadows of Balvenie Castle, which he eventually converted into Balvenie Distillery. Today, Balvenie Distillery, situated in the Speyside region of Scotland, remains one of the most independent and prestigious distilleries in all of Scotland. Balvenie Single Malt Whisky is made from fresh, plump barley grown on Balvenie Mains, a 1,000-acre farm situated adjacent to the distillery (the farm has been the distillery's source for barley for over a century). After the barley is harvested, it is malted at the distillery with spring water sourced from the rolling Speyside hills that overlook the distillery. During the malting process, the barley is turned up to four times a day in order to ensure that it germinates evenly (Balvenie is the only single malt Scotch whisky distillery that continues to grow and malt its own barley). Once the barley has been malted, it is milled and mashed at the distillery before being fermented using a proprietary strain of yeast. Following fermentation, the wash is distilled twice, first through Balvenie's copper-pot wash still and then again through its copper-pot spirit still. "The most important reason for using a copper still," explains Dennis McBain, Balvenie's coppersmith, "is that it acts as a catalyst. It removes any sulfur which may be carried over from the fermentation process prior to distillation." McBain, who joined Balvenie Distillery in 1959, is one of the oldest coppersmiths remaining in the industry. In addition, the size and shape of Balvenie's stills the stills' necks have unique boil balls that are nicknamed "Balvenie Bowls" results in Balvenie's signature bold and malty flavor profile. "The size and shape of the boil ball allow for the vapors to mix before continuing up the head," explains McBain. "That helps make The Balvenie special." Inspired to produce an even fruitier, sweeter Balvenie, Apprentice Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie had the bright idea to import Virgin Oak barrels from Kentucky. After deep toasting them at The Balvenie Cooperage, they were filled with Balvenie aged in ex-bourbon barrels. The result is a delectably complex whisky with notes of candied fruit, coconut and delicate vanilla. 

THE BALVENIE FORTY

AGED 40 YEARS

Using some of the rarest casks that have been carefully matured in Traditional American and European Oak in The Balvenie warehouses, Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE creates to craft a bold marriage of extraordinary character.
 
Rich and refined; intense honeyed oak and rich fruit create a complex layer of sweetness and spice; then warm notes of  ginger and citrus are revealed.

Bottled at cask strength.

Rare Marriages: For this range, Kelsey McKechnie has made a small selection of our rarest casks, each of exceptional quality and unique individual flavour to bring together in a tun marriage.

The Balvenie Twenty Five Layers Of Depth And Complexity: Extraordinary depth; the perfect balance to create the most elegantly fruity whisky expression.

Twenty Five Rare Marriage: In a flawless whisky marriage, Honorary Ambassador and Former Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE brings together individual casks that have matured in traditional American and European Oak to craft an incredibly intricate and balanced expression; exemplifying the art and skill of Single Malt tun marriages.

The result: A whisky of exceptional character, Twenty-Five hints at our most sought-after Balvenie flavours – bold vanilla oak, crystallised ginger and sweet runny honey.

At The Balvenie we stay true to our Five Rare Crafts, making whisky the way we always have. Our craftsmen have an intimate understanding of their materials and a desire to make the very best whisky possible. Our process is a combination of expertise, skill and ambition which gives The Balvenie its unique character. It’s the heart and the passion that goes into each bottle. The dedication. The commitment. The obsession. This is what elevates the expert to the extraordinary. It takes skill to make something great. It requires heart to make something extraordinary.

With over 50 years of experience, Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE possesses an unequalled knowledge of The Balvenie. For The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch No.2, David hand-selects an assemblage of vintage casks from the distillery’s precious aged whisky stocks and fills them to Tun 1509, housed in Warehouse 24. Three months later emerges this exceptionally complex and rare single malt Scotch whisky. This is a rare interpretation of the marrying process, with each batch limited by the 8000L capacity of the tun itself, allowing these fine casks to come together to create a singular expression; a Balvenie greater than the sum of its constituent parts.

One batch is bottled each year and The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 1 was launched in 2014.

At The Balvenie we stay true to our Five Rare Crafts, making whisky the way we always have. Our craftsmen have an intimate understanding of their materials and a desire to make the very best whisky possible. Our process is a combination of expertise, skill and ambition which gives The Balvenie its unique character. It’s the heart and the passion that goes into each bottle. The dedication. The commitment. The obsession. This is what elevates the expert to the extraordinary. It takes skill to make something great. It requires heart to make something extraordinary.

For the 2017 release, The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 4, David C Stewart MBE carefully selected 23 casks – 13 traditional American oak barrels and 10 European oak sherry butts – from the distillery’s precious aged stocks.

All were transferred to Tun 1509, which sits in Warehouse 24, for several months before bottling. Tun is a rare interpretation of the marrying process and allows our most mature casks of various vintages to come together to create a unique expression of The Balvenie that is greater than the sum of its constituent parts.

The Story of David C Stewart and the creation of two extraordinary red roses. Inspired by the history of Balvenie castle, this story celebrates the story of the rose, the desire of our visitors for a distillery exclusive and the romance in creating a new whisky. The Second Red Rose is finished in Australian Shiraz casks, for an elegant dram brimming with notes of fresh, ripe fruits and delicate spice.

NOSE: Intense ripe fruits combined with robust earthy tones, reveal the mouth-watering fragrance from fresh mango and subtle oak

TASTE: An initial burst of blackberry and ripe peach sweetness, conceal flavours of vibrant oak and cracked black pepper leaving a gentle woody spice

FINISH: Lingering oakiness