The Balvenie Launches 17 Year Old DoubleWood

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Balvenie, the world's most handcrafted single malt Scotch whisky, today announced the launch of a new expression: The Balvenie 17 Year Old DoubleWood to commemorate Malt Master David Stewart's 50^th anniversary.  Available nationwide beginning October 2012, this rich and complex addition is the first 17 Year Old expression to join The Balvenie's core range of single malts, alongside the 12 Year Old DoubleWood, 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask, 15 Year Old Single Barrel, and 21 Year Old PortWood.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120917/NY74766 )

To craft The Balvenie 17 Year Old DoubleWood, Scotland's longest-serving Malt Master, David Stewart, returned to one of his most celebrated achievements – consecutive maturation in two different types of cask, a process often referred to as 'cask finishing'.  This technique is at the heart of The Balvenie DoubleWood – it sees the whisky matured first in American oak barrels, which impart soft, sweet vanilla notes, before being transferred to European oak sherry casks, where the second cask ageing adds rich spicy flavors to enhance the depth and fullness of the whisky.

Stewart first showcased his craftsmanship when he created The Balvenie Classic in the 1980s, and his innovative approach to cask finishing has since set a new standard in single malts. The success of The Balvenie Classic led to the eventual release of The Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood in 1993, a celebrated example of cask finishing, which is now the hallmark of The Balvenie range.

"It has been a real pleasure to create the DoubleWood 17 Year Old, and I am delighted with the way it has turned out, as I hope Balvenie enthusiasts will be," said Malt Master David Stewart. "Wherever I travel in the world, DoubleWood 12 Year Old is the expression that people are most likely to have enjoyed. It is also one of the whiskies I am most proud of when I look back over my 50 years at the distillery, which is why it has been so exciting to create this new older version."

The Balvenie 17 Year Old DoubleWood is an expertly proportioned single malt with distinctive rich vanilla oak, honeyed sweetness and layers of spices.  On the nose, it is elegant and complex with oak, vanilla, honey and a hint of green apple. To taste, it is sweet with dried fruits, sherbet spice, toasted almonds and cinnamon, layered with a richness of creamy toffee notes and traces of oak and deep vanilla.

The Balvenie 17 Year Old DoubleWood is available throughout the U.S. starting in October 2012 with a recommended retail price of $129.99.

About The Balvenie
The Balvenie is a unique range of Single Malt whiskies hand crafted in Scotland's Speyside region by William Grant & Sons.  Created by internationally renowned malt master David Stewart, The Balvenie is unique in that it retains complete control over the five rare crafts that go into the production of its acclaimed whisky: nowhere else will you find a distillery that still grows its own barley, malts in its own traditional malting floor, employs coopers to tend every cask, a coppersmith to maintain the stills and a malt master to ensure that the resulting spirit is consistently excellent.  It is this dedicated to producing a truly handcrafted whisky that has led to the Balvenie receiving the highest plaudits at a range of international spirits competitions, with the Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood recently picking up the Single Malt Trophy at both the International Spirits Challenge and the International Wine and Spirits competition.

The Balvenie core range includes The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old ($49.99), The Balvenie 14 Year old Caribbean Cask ($60.99), The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year Old ($71.99), The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year Old ($129.99). The Balvenie PortWood 21 Year Old ($169.99) in addition to a variety of limited release expressions.  For further information visit www.thebalvenie.com.

About William Grant & Sons:
William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distills some of the world's leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world's most awarded single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world's fourth largest blended Scotch Grant's® as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick's® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Rum, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and the award-winning Milagro® Tequila.

Among the most recent accolades for the well-awarded company, William Grant & Sons was honored as the "Distiller of the Year" by the International Wine & Spirit Competition for the second year running and the fourth time since 1999. When counted along with the same designation from the International Spirits Challenge, William Grant & Sons has received this title an unprecedented nine times in the past 12 years.

Founded in 1964, William Grant & Sons USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of William Grant & Sons, Ltd. and features one of the fastest growing spirits portfolios in the USA with brands including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Hendrick's Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, Milagro Tequila, Stolichnaya Vodka, Grant's, Hudson Whiskey, Gibson's Finest, Monkey Shoulder, Clan MacGregor, Reyka Vodka, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Lillet, Art In The Age, The Knot and BOLS cordials. The company has offices in New York City (sales and marketing) and Edison, NJ (bottling and warehouse facilities). For more information on the company and its brands, please visit www.grantusa.com.

SOURCE The Balvenie