The Balvenie’s New Whisky Range
A trio of new releases from The Balvenie Distillery will bring the incredible folklore behind the whisky to life. The Balvenie Stories is a range of exclusively crafted single malt whiskies, evoking historical tales of character, endeavour and the craft created at the distillery in Dufftown, Scotland.
This new range brings to life the characters behind the craft, telling the rich tale of alchemy and process. In a technology-driven world, The Balvenie Stories celebrates how the distillery remains a place run by people – where human touch, skill, and emotion prevail over machine and automation.
The Balvenie Stories collection will comprise of the following three expressions:
The Sweet Toast of American Oak – Aged 12 Years – 43% ABV
This is the story of the spectacular things that can happen when ancient technique meets fresh ideas. When newly appointed Apprentice Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie experimented with twice-toasted white American oak from Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky it produced an even fruitier, sweeter tasting Balvenie.
The Week of Peat – Aged 14 Years – 48.3% ABV
An evolution of The Balvenie Peat Week Aged 14 Years, which launched globally in 2017. This expression tells the tale of Malt Master David Stewart MBE and former distillery manager Ian Millar using a week’s gap in the distillery’s production schedule to experiment with peat in the barley drying process. The result is a classic Balvenie expression with honey, vanilla and citrus notes with an extra layer of delicate smokiness.
A Day of Dark Barley – Aged 26 Years – 47.8% ABV
The story of Malt Master David Stewart MBE and The Balvenie’s malt men experimenting with a heavily roasted dark barley in 1992. The resulting liquid was originally released in 2006 as the 14-Year-Old Balvenie Roasted Malt, however casks were retained for extra maturation, eventually becoming a classic aged Balvenie, but with extra depth and oak notes gleaned from the darker malt.
Who better to tell these tales than the master craftsmen and women themselves, alongside The Balvenie Global Ambassador, Gemma Paterson. Via NFC-enabled tags on each bottle of The Balvenie Stories range, whisky lovers can use their smartphone to go on an audio journey. Guided audio whisky tastings of each expression will also be available, conducted by Stewart and McKechnie.
Commenting on the release of The Balvenie Stories, The Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart MBE says: “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 Brand Ambassador ANZ, Ross Blainey elaborates further, saying “We’ve created a collection that is unique and unexpected, bringing the stories of our distillery community to Australia. The craft and passion that has been poured into these whiskies is nothing short of exceptional – we are proud to hero the fantastic people behind these whiskies.”
The notion of storytelling informs the design of The Balvenie Stories packaging too, with each tale represented visually on the whisky’s tube and label in bespoke illustrations from British artist and printmaker Andy Lovell. Lovell’s work draws its inspiration direct from the distillery, where he spent time listening to the stories first-hand, before using his bold, hand-made gestural technique to build up images that capture the essence of each tale.
The Balvenie Stories collection will be available in select premium bars and whisky venues nationally and from 1 August at Dan Murphy’s; The Sweet Toast of American Oak (RRP $110), The Week of Peat (RRP $150) and A Day of Dark Barley (RRP $1,050). More Info.
