The Balvenie Stories range is a collection of single
malt whiskies representing tales of character, endeavour and generational
knowledge gathered by the craftsmen of The Balvenie Distillery.Each
whisky produced by The Balvenie tells a human story, evolving with the
protagonists and developing unexpected twists through years of maturation.
One of the original seven stills of Dufftown, Balvenie has been in business since 1892. It’s storied history is full of experimentation, a spirit of curiosity that has been passed down through the generations. Though the distillery boasts an open-minded approach to distilling and maturation, it also maintains a connection with tradition. Today it is one of only seven distilleries in Scotland to operate a floor maltings on-site. It’s not the easiest way to get malted barley, or the cheapest, but having direct control over the raw materials has allowed Balvenie to remain creative. The experiments taking place there today are sure to become the Balvenie stories of tomorrow.
Each whisky is accompanied by an audiobook which brings to life the story behind each expression, through a series of conversations between The Balvenie’s craftsmen and The Balvenie Global Ambassador Gemma Paterson. These conversations were recorded at locations significant to the narrative of each tale, including at The Balvenie Distillery and as far afield as Kelvin Cooperage, Kentucky. Each audiobook concludes with David Stewart and Kelsey McKechnie sharing a dram of some of the very first bottles of The Balvenie Stories with the craftsmen who created the whiskies for buyers to enjoy.
STORY NO.1: BALVENIE THE SWEET TOAST OF AMERICAN OAK 12 YEAR OLD
The story begins in conversation with Ian McDonald at The Balvenie Cooperage, who celebrates his fiftieth year at The Balvenie this year and talks about the unique toasting process that created this whisky and what it is like to mentor generations of apprentices. Tradition plays an important part in Scotch whisky, but experimentation often reaps rewards. This was the case when The Balvenie became the first distillery to introduce a cask finished whisky to its core range – the now famous 12-year-old DoubleWood. It also proved true when apprentice malt master Kelsey McKechnie was inspired to create an intense expression of Balvenie’s sweet and fruity character.
Supported by malt master David C Stewart, she sourced new American oak barrels from Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville Kentucky. These casks would ultimately travel more than 6,000 kilometres to Speyside, where they were given an extra deep toast at Balvenie under the watchful eye of head cooper Ian McDonald. This collaborative process culminated in a rich, buttery dram with intense aromas of vanilla and spice. A fitting contribution to a history of innovation.
£69.64/€81.48/$
82.26 per litre/75°Proof/43% ABV
STORY NO.2: BALVENIE WEEK
OF PEAT 14 YEAR OLD
Speyside isn’t usually associated with peated whiskies.
But a trip to the island of Islay inspired Balvenie distillery manager Ian
Miller to reappraise the region’s relationship with smoke. He sourced peat from
the village of New Pitsligo, an hour east of Dufftown and began experimenting
with it in the Balvenie maltings. Through careful trials, he and the rest of
the team were able to produce whisky that wrapped the classic distillery
character in a blanket of smoke. As a result, the kilns at Balvenie now burn
peat for one week a year at the end of the distilling season – hence, the week
of peat.
Opening at the very meeting table where the seed of the
idea for this whisky was born former Distillery Manager, Ian Millar, goes for a
spin with Gemma around The Balvenie and recounts tales from the distillery’s
first ever Week of Peat in 2002. After visiting the original field where our
farmer grew the first batch of barley that was peated in the malting kiln,
Gemma along with Maltman Robbie Gormley and Mashman Brian Webster discuss what
it was like to handle the peated malt at the distillery, which was filled with
an intense peat reek that drew a crowd like never before!
For David, these expressions recall vintages
from when local peat was more commonly used that it is today. ‘With
the Weak of Peat we’re going back to the way we used to make The Balvenie,’ he
says. ‘I’ve been here a long time, so I sampled the original peated Balvenie we
made in the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s.’ To say he’s been with the firm
a long time is modest, as David holds the honour of being Scotland’s longest
serving malt master.
£100.64/€117.75/$121.77
per litre/84.5°Proof/48.3% ABV
STORY NO.3: BALVENIE A DAY
OF DARK BARLEY 26 YEAR OLD
Standing in Balvenie distillery courtyard on a dreich
day, Maltman Robbie Gormley and Mashman Brian Webster take us back to a wet
summer’s day in 1992 when the infamous delivery of dark barley caught the pair
off guard. Recounting their years of friendship and night shifts at The
Balvenie, Brian and Robbie give us a glimpse through decades spent at the
distillery. Gemma is joined by David Stewart and Distillery Ambassador David
Mair in the lounge at the Balvenie Visitor Centre to see how the original
14-year-old Roasted Malt has matured further into this new 26-year-old release.
Heavily roasted malt is usually produced for breweries
making stout and porter, not distilleries making whisky. But for a short time
in 1992, the mash tuns and washbacks at Balvenie were black with dark barley.
Even then, the distillery staff knew they were working on something quite
different. ‘We did the roasted malt trials to see if we could change something
at the point of distillation rather than in the cask. These things do take time
– you need patience,’ said David of the decades long experiment.
When Balvenie Roasted Malt was released in 2006, it was
the first whisky of its kind. ‘After we released it first in 2006, the question
became – how would the whisky mature? What would it become?’ In the ensuing
years, the spirit produced during this experimental run matured into a complex
expression of the distillery character. ‘It still has that honey, vanilla,
citrus flavour from the first fill Bourbon casks,’ David tells us. ‘But you’re
also getting something a little bit different, too. There’s a smokiness and an
oakiness. It’s a heavier note, with more wood influence. Extra depth.’
The third whisky in the Balvenie Stories collection is
a deep, oaky whisky, matured for over a quarter of a century in a first-fill
bourbon cask; it has malty aromas of soft brown sugar, vanilla, blossom honey
and gentle oak spice. The palate initially offers notes of sweet toffee and
tangy orange, slowly developing vanilla, toasted oak and spicy ginger. Very
coherent, fresh, tart, citrusy, extremely well balanced, with some rhubarb,
kiwi, cider apples, pink grapefruits… And even drizzles of the best petroly Rieslings.
Finish: tangy, with a little more pepper and crushed stems. Wonderful freshness.
'Unusually roasted grain tells a brittle tale...' Crafted with an unusual batch of dark, brittle barley in the summer of 1992, this expression has been released as part of The Balvenie Stories series. Bottled free from chill filtration at a strength of 47.8% ABV, this unusual release is described as a heavier Balvenie, flavoured with the richness of over-roasted malted barley, oak, honey, vanilla and citrus notes.
The second edition of this bottle was at a higher ABV of 49.4% ABV.
£921.5/€1078/$1115
per litre/84° Proof/47.8% ABV
STORY NO.4: BALVENIE THE
EDGE OF BURNHEAD WOOD 19 YEAR OLD
The inspiration for what would become known as ‘the
heather trials’ came to distillery manager Ian Miller when he cracked open a
lump of ancient peat and saw evidence of heather inside – 1,000s of years old
and still a part of the Scottish landscape. Beginning in the archives, Dave
Stewart explains how he found the perfect bouncy, fresh heather to use in the
‘heather trials’. Gemma joins Dave in a drive up to the Edge of Burnhead Wood
to see exactly where this story all started. One morning in early-2000, Dave
Stewart set out for the edge of Burnhead Wood, just west of Balvenie to gather
fresh spring heather, which Ian intended to burn in the malt kilns.
Though it took some experimentation, he was able to
produce batches of estate-grown malt that were lightly smoked with heather,
each grain infused with new flavours and a unique sense of place. In time, this
experimental malt would become part of the first ever expression of The
Balvenie made solely with ingredients from the Dufftown estate – local barley,
spring water from the Conval Hills, and heather from the edge of Burnhead Wood.
Each member of the team had to get creative when it
came to this experiment, and how events at the distillery can sometimes lead to
unusual teamwork out of the box! Finally Gemma speaks to Ian Millar, who led
the trials. Together they sample a very special dram from this experiment.
Deep amber in colour, the Nose is lively and vibrant;
this Balvenie has notes of fig and geranium oil perfectly balanced with fresh herbal
undertones reminiscent of green woodland. On the Palate, flavours of honey,
cloves and caramelised baked dates are layered on top of delicate citrus and
spice. The sweetness reveals an underlying oaky dryness leading up to a lingering,
oaky, dried blossom Finish.
£378.6/€443/$458 per litre/85.2° Proof/48.7% ABV
STORY NO.5: BALVENIE 21 YEAR OLD SECOND RED ROSE STORIES
The red rose is named in honour
of Lady Margret Douglas, a late resident of Balvenie castle. After the death of
her husband, the 8th Earl of Douglas, ownership of the grounds went to King
James II, who it’s said took pity on her plight. In exchange for her continued
residence at Balvenie, Margret Douglas was asked to pay an annual rent of one
perfect red rose. Though the castle eventually fell to ruin, its name lives on as
their stones found new purpose in the building of a distillery on the estate and
the red rose remains an important symbol in Dufftown.
To this day, the workers atBalvenie report seeing a green lady who walks the floor maltings at night –
causing some to suggest that the fair maid never left her highland home. Just
as the distillery keeps the name of the old Balvenie castle alive, so too did
malt master David C Stewart seek to preserve the memory of Margret Douglas and
that famous red rose.
In the early 2000s, malt master
David C Stewart sought to tell this local tale with a very special single malt.
The first Balvenie rose was a small release, finished for a short time in Port
pipes and sold to visitors at the distillery. It remains a prized bottle among
whisky fans, many of whom speculated about the possibility of a future release
of this elegant and brightly hued single malt. More than a decade later, David
C Stewart set to work bringing the red rose back to Balvenie.
To achieve the appropriate hue he
had finished the premier expression in Port pipes, which gave it a beautiful
burgundy hue. This was more than practical for a small release. When the time
came to produce a second Red Rose years later, suitable infrastructural increased
markedly and he sourced Australian Shiraz barriques for the purpose, creating a
richly elegant and fruity dram with summery notes of red berry, fresh ripe
fruits and spice. It is free from chill filtration and arrives at a strength of
48.1% ABV. It won a Gold in the International Wine & Spirits Competition
2022. A real taste of Dufftown’s history.
£450/€526.5/$544.5
per litre/84° Proof/48.1% ABV
Producer’s tasting notes:
On the Nose, intense ripe fruits combined with robust earthy tones, reveal the mouth-watering fragrance from fresh mango and subtle oak.
On the Palate, there is an
initial burst of blackberry and ripe peach sweetness, concealing flavours of
vibrant oak and cracked black pepper leaving a gentle woody spice. This
oakiness reveals itself in the Finish, in a sumptuous, lingering experience.
STORY NO.6: BALVENIE A TALE OF THE DOG 46 & 42 YEAR OLD
This new expression made its debut in November 2021, inspired by and representing stories told by craftsmen at the distillery in Dufftown, Scotland. The Tale of the Dog 46-year-old was launched globally in 10 travel retail locations, with an RRP of £16,500/€19,300/$19,965 for a 70 cl bottle. Only 34 bottles of The Tale of the Dog 46 Year Old were available for sale exclusively in gobal travel retail locations, drawn from an exclusive single cask. The Tale of the Dog 42 Year Old was not as exclusive, made available at select retailers, is also drawn from an exclusive single cask and tagged at £9,000/€10,530/$10,900 for a 70 cl bottle. Both were finished in Wine casks, surprisingly type unknown, given that David C Stewart was very much around.
The 46 Year Old: The Balvenie ‘Tale of the Dog’ release, is an amazing story which was brought to life in this very rare 46 YO single cask offering available exclusively for travel retail. Beyond its rarity as a single cask offering, Malt Master David Stewart M.B.E and Apprentice Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie, selected this exceptional cask, paying homage to their long serving coppersmith Dennis McBain and his tireless service while revealing a little secret found within their distillery. These were exceptional whiskies from Balvenie showcased to the whisky community through several global partners.
Aged for 46 years, The Tale of
the Dog is a smooth and honeyed expression of The Balvenie, perfectly balanced
with mouth-watering toffee flavours enveloping a nutty honey spice and a
lingering oak finish. The casks chosen come from a time before the industry
stopped the practice of ‘dramming’, where workers received drams while at work.
When the ‘dramming’ stopped, the
industry also tightened its other regulations, and it became impossible to
‘walk the dog’ from that point on. A fitting tribute to Dennis and The Tale of
the Dog, these casks are among the few that might have been visited by a dog
back then.
LEGENDARY LIQUID
The story goes that in the early days of Dennis’ apprenticeship, he was given a copper tubing by the distillery manager and was told to flatten it by any means. It was certainly a weird piece of copper tubing that he hadn’t seen before but if your boss is asking you to do something, you get it done. It was only later that he learnt that the copper tubing was in fact a “dipping dog”, a little copper device used by distillery staff to pilfer some whiskies for themselves.
As a young apprentice, fresh to
the world of whisky-making, Dennis flattened copper dog would then be put back
for its owner to easily find, as a way of calling out the illicit activity and
a subtle warning to desist in the future.
Thus, expressions such as ‘taking
the dog for a walk’ became common at the distillery, with whomever the copper
dog had been sent to, understanding full well that he’d been discovered, but
given a second chance.
Storytelling is carried through every aspect of The Tale of the Dog, with its anecdote depicted on the whisky’s packaging. Presented with a replica flattened copper dog, the bottle is encased in a wooden tube wrapped in leather, printed with a bespoke illustration, specific to the liquid, from British artist and printmaker Andy Lovell. Drinkers can listen to the story of The Tale of the Dog via a specially recorded podcast series, featuring the craftspeople behind the expression, as well as The Balvenie Global Ambassador Gemma Paterson. This podcast will be available through Spotify and iTunes and via a QR code tag inside the pack, that drinkers can scan using their smartphones.
The Tale of the Dog is one of the stories people most love hearing about The Balvenie – from a time when one did wonder sometimes if the dogs were taking their share, as well as the angels. These two casks, from 1978 and 1974, are wonderful liquids chosen to represent the story. As both Gemma and David say, “This story captivates people across the world whenever our Ambassadors share it with them. It’s such a heart-warming story about one of our distilleries best loved characters. These two casks, from 1978 and 1974, are wonderful liquids chosen to represent the story.”
On July 27, 2021, a brand new American version of the Balvenie whisky label appeared on the Internet. According to the label, the corresponding whisky is called-The Tale of the Dog Aged 42 Years. It belongs to the Balvenie Stories series.
On November 1, 2021, Balvenie officially launched The Tale of the Dog Aged 42 Years. This whisky tells the story of the first Copper Dog in Cellar No. 24, and the protagonist of the story is the coppersmith Dennis McBain of the Balvenie distillery. On a snowy afternoon more than 60 years ago, the young McBain was still an apprentice coppersmith who had only worked at Balvenie for 9 months. He was alone in the Balvenie Workshop, and then a craftsman walked in and asked him to get a hammer. Then the craftsman handed McBain a copper tube and asked him to knock it flat. From that day on, he knew about the copper dog, and understood that "taking the dog for a walk" actually meant stealing whisky. The copper dog is a small object used to steal whisky from whisky barrels a long time ago. Its main body is a copper tube, one end is welded to closure with a coin, and the other end is blocked with a cork.
In the past, the staff of the distillery who had access to the whisky barrels, or the people who distilled bootleg whisky, would use a copper dog to pinch the whisky from the barrel, then cover it with a cork and put it in the leg of the trousers, or just hang it on the body and carry it around. Because it is made of copper, and like a dog, usually inseparable from human beings, so it is often called a copper dog. More than 60 years ago, the craftsman found a copper dog in the coat pocket of a cellar worker. After McBain knocked it flat, he put it back in the cellar worker's coat. In this way, he warned him: It's better not to do it again. Stealing alcohol, in this way, avoids face-to-face conflicts, saves enough face for the thief, and gives the thief a chance to reform. Later, McBain always took the responsibility to lead tourists to the No. 24 whisky cellar of Balvenie, and used a long tube to drink whisky from the barrel for tourists, but that tube was not very useful. McBain had the idea of using copper dogs to make whisky for tourists. Since then, the first copper dog in cellar No. 24 was born. And "walking the dog" in the No. 24 whisky cellar of Balvenie then became an interesting excursion for tourists to talk about.
Aged for 42 years, The Tale of the Dog is a smooth and honeyed expression of The Balvenie, perfectly balanced with mouth-watering toffee flavours enveloping a nutty honey spice and a lingering oak finish. The casks chosen come from a time before the industry stopped the practice of ‘dramming’, where workers received drams while at work.
There were differences too. The 42 YO had a low ABV of 47% when compared with the 46 YO, which was at 54.7% ABV. They had been distilled and casked in 1979 and 1975 respectively. The 46 YO was for Retail Travel whereas the 42 YO was sold through specific retailers.
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