The Balvenie

David Stewart MBE holding his 26 year old Day of Dark Barley

THE STORIES OF THE BALVENIE

Founded by the great William Grant himself in 1886 and today run by his direct descendants, The Balvenie Distillery is an award-winning family-owned distillery steeped in history. It owes its success to natural alchemy and the centuries-old craftsmanship that makes The Balvenie uniquely special among single malts.

The Balvenie’s signature style is rich, smooth and luxurious, a distinct expression of the distillery’s commitment to the Five Rare Crafts. Staying true to the traditional methods of whisky making is central to the distillery’s desire to make the highest quality whisky. It is the only distillery that still grows its own barley, uses traditional floor maltings and keeps both coppersmiths, and a team of coopers on site. All this combined with the passion and dedication and exceptional skill of its Malt Master, David C. Stewart MBE is why The Balvenie is known as one of the world’s most hand-crafted single-malts. This year a trio of new releases will bring this incredible history, passion and endeavour to life. The Balvenie Stories is a range of exclusively crafted single-malt whiskies that evoke the people, the craft and the commitment of The Balvenie Distillery. In today’s technology-obsessed world, The Balvenie Stories represents and celebrates human creativity, skill, passion and emotion over machine and automation. This range of whiskies embodies historical and rich tales that speak of time and alchemy; they tell the story. The notion of storytelling that has inspired this range has also inspired the team to deliver the tales in audio as well as through the sense of taste. For a true immersion into The Balvenie Stories, pour a glass and be transported to Dufftown, Scotland via NFC-enabled tags on each bottle of The Balvenie Stories range, whisky lovers can use their smartphone to go on an audio journey.

To learn more about The Balvenie Stories collection, head online to http://www. thebalvenie.com/stories.

Brian Webster and Robbie Gormley “STORIES ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF THE BALVENIE DISTILLERY. THEY MAKE UP THE FABRIC OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO. EACH EXPRESSION IN THE COLLECTION REFLECTS THIS BY TELLING ITS OWN STORY VIA FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS AND RECOLLECTIONS OF THE MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED” - THE BALVENIE MALT MASTER DAVID STEWART MBE.

Apprentice Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie shares a story over her dram

THE BALVENIE STORIES COLLECTION INCLUDES THREE DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS

THE SWEET TOAST OF AMERICAN OAK

Aged 12 Years – 43% ABV

This Balvenie Story represents what happens when a new and fresh idea is introduced amongst tried and true techniques. This is the story of a young gun, newly appointed Apprentice Malt Master by the name of Kelsey McKechnie who was inspired to use twice-toasted white American oak discovered on a visit to Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky. The result is a fruitier, sweeter tasting Balvenie.

THE WEEK OF PEAT

Aged 14 Years – 48.3% ABV

This expression is an evolution of The Balvenie Peat Week Aged 14 Years launched in 2017. It tells the tale of Malt Master David Stewart MBE and former distillery manager Ian Millar getting lost in their passion whilst on a week’s gap in the distillery’s production schedule. They started experimenting with peat in the barley drying process. The result is a distinctive whisky expression of honey, vanilla and citrus notes with a layer of delicate smokiness.

A DAY OF DARK BARLEY

Aged 26 Years – 47.8% ABV

This is the tale of Malt Master David Stewart MBE and The Balvenie’s Maltman Robbie Gormley with Mashman Brian Webster, experimenting with heavily roasted dark barley in 1992. Originally released in 2006 as the 14-Year-Old Balvenie Roasted Malt, casks were retained for extra maturation and became this classic aged Balvenie with extra depth and oak notes from the darker malt.