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.”
