The Balvenie Welcomes The Fall With Three New Releases
Half a Century of Unmatched Expertise Lends Itself to the Release of Tun 1509, Single Barrel Traditional Oak Aged 25 Years, & Fifty, Cask 4567
NEW YORK, Oct. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Balvenie, the most handcrafted single malt Scotch whisky, is proud to announce the release of three extremely rare and collectable whiskies from its legendary warehouses: The Balvenie Tun 1509, The Balvenie Single Barrel Traditional Oak Aged 25 Years, and The Balvenie Fifty, Cask 4567.
All nurtured by the longest-serving Malt Master in Scotch whisky history, David Stewart, these new releases once again exemplify The Balvenie's dedication to both tradition and innovation. It is William Grant & Sons' unique position as an independent, family-owned distiller that afford Stewart the freedom and facilities to create unique and collectable expressions for passionate whisky enthusiasts to enjoy.
Following the release of nine batches of the highly-acclaimed Tun 1401—arguably one of the most collectable and sought-after whiskies on the market—David Stewart is now applying the same unique marrying concept to a new expression – The Balvenie Tun 1509. The eponymous marrying vessel used to create this whisky differs to its predecessor in that it holds roughly four times the volume, allowing David the opportunity to showcase an even greater complexity in the marriage. To create the first batch of Tun 1509, David carefully hand selected 42 of the finest casks – 35 traditional American oak barrels and seven 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. This rare interpretation of the marrying process allows all 42 casks to come together to create a unique expression of The Balvenie that's greater than the sum of its constituent parts. Tun 1509 is bottled at the natural strength of 47.1% ABV and is non-chill filtered. The first bottles will appear on shelves mid-October in select markets with a suggested retail price of $350.
The Balvenie Distillery has always been at the forefront of single malt innovation and showed this in 1993 with the release of Single Barrel. This groundbreaking expression introduced single cask whisky – whisky bottled from an individual cask of a single distillation – to a wider audience of malt whisky drinkers and to date The Balvenie remains the only distillery that has an ongoing single cask release of a single age as a part of its range. Following the successful debut of the 12 year old Single Barrel First Fill, which was released in early 2013, and the 15 year old Single Barrel Sherry Cask, launched in the spring of 2014; a third Single Barrel release, The Balvenie Single Barrel Traditional Oak Aged 25 Years - drawn from a refill American oak barrel - will complete the range this October. These three different cask types – first fill, refill American oak and European oak – are the DNA of The Balvenie range, as they are the casks most widely used for maturation. However, only a select few of these casks are chosen by David Stewart for bottling individually. Each bottling of The Balvenie Single Barrel Traditional Oak Aged 25 Years forms a limited edition of no more than 300 hand-numbered bottles drawn from a single cask, making every bottle unique and unrepeatable. The Balvenie Single Barrel Traditional Oak is non chill-filtered and bottled at a higher strength of 47.8% ABV offering whisky enthusiasts a "straight from the cask" experience. Available mid-October in select markets, this expression will have a suggested retail price of $599.
Completing this season's releases is The Balvenie Fifty, Cask 4567. Filled with newly distilled spirit in 1963, The Balvenie Fifty, Cask 4567 was matured in a European oak sherry hogshead, rarely used in the whisky industry. Over the following 50 years, the interaction between spirit and oak has produced an impeccably well-rounded single malt. The Balvenie Fifty, Cask 4567 is presented in a hand blown glass bottle surrounded by a handcrafted wooden case. The elegantly engraved bottles were created by Brodie Nairn of Glasstorm while the exquisite cases are the work of Master Craftsman Sam Chinnery. The cases are comprised of forty-nine rings of wood and a closing layer in brass that echoes the fittings of the distillery's stills and spirit safes. Due to its rare nature, this bottle has extremely limited availability with just 131 bottles available worldwide and only 15 of those in the United States. The Balvenie Fifty, Cask 4567 is a non-chill filtered release with an ABV of 45.4%. It has a suggested retail price of $38,000.
David Stewart commented, "It has been my greatest pleasure to have watched these casks mature over the last 50 years at The Balvenie Distillery. To now share these expressions with whisky enthusiasts around the world is truly a privilege."
About The Balvenie
The Balvenie is a unique range of single malts created by David Stewart, The Balvenie Malt Master, who celebrated his 50th year at the distillery in 2012. Each has a very individual taste, but each is rich, luxuriously smooth and underpinned by the distinctively honeyed character of The Balvenie. The Balvenie is dedicated to the five rare crafts that are used to create The Balvenie's distinctive taste. It is the only distillery that still grows its own barley, uses traditional floor maltings and keeps both coppersmiths and coopers on site – making The Balvenie the most handcrafted of malts. The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky is produced by William Grant & Sons Ltd, an award-winning independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today run by his direct descendants.
The Balvenie core range includes The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old ($49.99), The Balvenie 14 Year old Caribbean Cask ($65.99), The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year Old ($149.99). The Balvenie PortWood 21 Year Old ($199.99) 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 third largest blended Scotch Grant's® along with iconic premium spirits brands Hendrick's® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Rum, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey and Milagro® Tequila.
William Grant & Sons has been honored as "Distiller of the Year" by the prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition and International Spirits Challenge eleven times over the past 15 years, and most recently by the IWSC in 2013.
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 D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, Milagro Tequila, Grant's, Hudson Whiskey, Gibson's Finest, Monkey Shoulder, Clan MacGregor, Reyka Vodka, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Montelobos Mezcal, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, Lillet, Art In The Age, The Knot, and Raynal French Brandy. For more information on the company and its brands, please visit www.grantusa.com.
SOURCE The Balvenie
Share this article