The Balvenie

Born into poverty in December 1839, William Grant became a cattle herder at the age of 7 in order to supplement his familys 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 The Balvenie Distillery. Today, The Balvenie Distillery, situated in the Speyside region of Scotland, remains one of the most prestigious independent distilleries in all of Scotland.The 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 distillerys 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 (The 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 Balvenies 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, Balvenies 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 Balvenies stills the stills necks have unique boil balls that are nicknamed "Balvenie Bowls"- results in Balvenies 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 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky is aged in traditional oak casks for a minimum of fourteen years. Following its initial beautyrest, the Scotch whisky is double-barreled, or finished, in casks that were previously used to mature a Caribbean rum. While Scotch whiskies are traditionally finished in port or sherry casks, only a select handful of whiskies are finished in rum casks, as they impart more tropical flavors to whisky as compared to wine casks, and contribute to a more unique flavor profile.The Balvenie Caribbean Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky has an aroma of sweet vanilla and toffee, along with a touch of candied fruits. The aroma gives way to notes of dried fruits (particularly pears), molasses and honeyed oak on the palate, which are well-complemented by hints of mellow caramel and butterscotch. The finish is soft and elegant, and ends with with a lingering flavor.The whisky earned the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2011, and earned the Gold Medal at the International Review of Spirits Competition. In addition, it earned a score of 91 points from the Beverage Testing Institute.Pick up a bottle today!

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 and Sons, The Balvenie has long been a favorite of Speyside Whisky lovers. Its 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 Balvenies 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 percent 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. Its Balvenie as youve never had it before, and still very different from the famous Islay peated spirits on the other side of Scotland. Its should be on the "must have" list of every Speyside and Balvenie fan.Get your bottle today!

Born in December 1839, William Grant became a cattle herder at the age of 7 in order to supplement his familys 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 distillerys 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 Balvenies 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, Balvenies 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 Balvenies stills the stills necks have unique boil balls that are nicknamed "Balvenie Bowls" results in Balvenies 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 (Balvenies 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."Pick it up today!

Born in December 1839, William Grant became a cattle herder at the age of 7 in order to supplement his familys 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 distillerys 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 Balvenies 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, Balvenies 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 Balvenies stills the stills necks have unique boil balls that are nicknamed "Balvenie Bowls"- results in Balvenies 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 PortWood Finish 21 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky is aged in traditional oak casks crafted by Ian McDonald, Balvenies head cooper, for a minimum of 21 years. This initial maturation process contributes notes of soft oak, honey, caramel and nougat to the whisky. After its initial beauty rest, the whisky is double-barreled or finished in casks that were previously used to mature port. During this second maturation, Malt Master David Stewart regularly samples the whisky in order to ensure that the port casks have contributed "just the right amount of character."The Balvenie PortWood Finish 21 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky has an aroma of ripe fruits, dates, figs, raisins and almonds. The aroma opens up to notes of toasted bread, honey, and marzipan on the palate, which are well-balanced by hints of cherries, peat and cedar. The finish, which is long and smooth, has a touch of spice.The whisky earned the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2009 and 2012, and earned a score of 94 points from the Beverage Testing Institute in 2009 and 2010.Pick up a bottle today!