Famed
Speyside distillery The Balvenie has just
released the second batch of Signature, its
celebratory single malt Scotch whisky,
created by Balvenie Malt Master David
Stewart in celebration of his 45th year in
the whisky industry.
Available in in a very limited edition of
1000 cases, with a recommended retail price
of $52 per bottle, the 12 year old single
malt is a 'skillful marriage' of three cask
types - first fill bourbon barrels, refill
casks and sherry butts - to create a
completely unique nose and taste.
The bourbon barrels add subtle vanilla, oak
and layers of honey and the refill casks
impart delicate, sweet notes and smoothness,
while the sherry butts bring rich fruit and
spiciness, resulting in a perfect balance of
all.
'It has given me great pleasure to create a
signature whisky as part of The Balvenie
range,' says Stewart, whose signature is on
every bottle. 'Maturing and marrying the
finest single malt Scotch whisky has been my
passion for over 45 years and it's an honor
to mark the moment with an addition to The
Balvenie family.'
From their Website
"BALVENIE CASTLE lent its name to the adjacent farm, Balvenie Mains. It also lent some stones to Balvenie New House, a replacement dwelling rather easier to heat and maintain than a medieval fort. After several decades the house itself stood empty, but soon developed a new role as the heart of a brand-new distillery from which the first spirit flowed on May Day 1893.
The basement became a warehouse, the first storey a malt floor and upstairs a loft to store the barley from the fertile thousand acres of Balvenie Mains. .In the 1920s we built a new maltings right next door, using stone blocks from the now levelled New House. Little else has changed over the years.
We’ve added stills, but they’re the same special shape. We’ve matured our malt in many different casks and pioneered new expressions, but it’s still the same spirit that goes in. We’ve added people, but the unique atmosphere remains the same."
