Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie expands the collection’s profile by combining the inaugural release, a rare single cask expression drawn exclusively from a European oak refill butt filled in 1973, with an American oak hogshead, also filled that year.

“The Balvenie Fifty Collection pays tribute to the makers, craftspeople and custodians who have watched over our liquid for the past five decades,” said The Balvenie Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie. “For The Second Edition, we selected an American oak hogshead filled in 1973 to build on the legacy of the inaugural release. The time spent maturing in American oak has nurtured a beautifully balanced character, with notes of sweet honey and warming oak. This profile was chosen to complement the European oak influence of The First Edition, creating a marriage of casks that brings both contrast and continuity to the flavor thread running through the trilogy. The collection reflects our respect for tradition and our commitment to looking to the future by preserving the rare crafts of whisky making from barley to bottle.”

A trilogy celebrating half a century of the Speyside distillery, the First Edition’s debuted in 2024, this Second Edition continues the journey of three unique releases that will culminate next year with the release of the Third Edition.

Each hand-blown bottle of The Balvenie Fifty Second Edition is individually numbered and housed in a case crafted by Croglin, a bespoke workshop in Cumbria. The design features seven layers of wood in a helix structure, a darker stain than the inaugural release, and a 14-carat gold-plated brass display.

Only 97 bottles of The Balvenie Fifty Second Edition will be available globally, with only 13 bottles available in the United States for $55,000.

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Due to stock restraints, The Balvenie stopped bottling the range in 2022. Now, the brand finds itself in a fortunate position where it can run an exclusive bottling of the expression. Each barrel of Single Barrel 12 Year Old is carefully selected by Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie and yields no more than 300 individually numbered bottles. Each bottle showcases the distillery’s signature honeyed house style.

“Part of the beauty of whisky making is that no two casks are quite the same, and I am immensely proud that we can reintroduce the Single Barrel 12 Year Old,” says The Balvenie Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie. “The fact we’re able to create this expression is a testament to the vast selection of quality casks in our warehouse and the care that has been taken to ensure trust in our liquid, our barrels and our approach to whisky making. The Single Barrel bottling allows us to celebrate the character of our house style and these bottlings embody who we are at The Balvenie.”

Bottled at 95.6 proof, The Balvenie Single Barrel 12 Year Old is a non-chill filtered release, matured entirely in white American oak ex-bourbon barrels.

“Single Barrel 12 Year Old gained a loyal following when first introduced, cherished for its familiar honeyed sweetness that is quintessentially The Balvenie, and rich, fruity notes that immediately take center stage,” says Naomi Leslie, The Balvenie U.S. Brand Ambassador. “David Stewart, Kelsey’s predecessor and the man who helped shape The Balvenie as we know it, always believed American oak perfectly showcased our distinct distillery flavor. The Single Barrel 12 Year Old embodies that philosophy perfectly, and we can’t wait to share it with consumers once again.”

The Balvenie Single Barrel 12 Year Old is available for $79.99.

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Beginning with The First Edition this year, The Balvenie will release only 125 bottles globally of each edition over the next three years, with The Second and Third Editions launching in 2025 and 2026.

The First Edition is a single cask expression aged in a European oak refill butt, filled in 1973 and hand-selected by Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie. The Second Edition will introduce an American oak hogshead cask filled in 1973 to marry with the first, and finally, a third cask filled in 1974, an American oak barrel, will be added to complete the marriage for the final Third Edition.

The inaugural expression from The Balvenie Fifty, which is 1o4 proof, showcases the complexity of the spirit influenced by the European oak cask while maintaining its classic style, even after 50 years of maturation.

“Each Edition in this collection is a testament to the craftsmanship that has defined our liquid over the past 50 years,” said The Balvenie Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie. “The unique characteristics of these rare casks come together to create a truly exceptional experience and set a new benchmark for our contribution to the rare and extraordinary whisky market at The Balvenie. Using a refill butt for the First Edition provides us with a distinctive flavor thread that will run through our next two releases, demonstrating the spectrum of flavors and aromas in our aged spirit. It is a celebration of our legacy, our passion, and our unwavering commitment to producing some of the finest whiskies in the world.”

In 1973, former Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE came together with The Balvenie’s craftspeople to fill the cask for the First Edition, starting the beginning of The Balvenie Fifty Collection’s journey. While many of those individuals still work at The Balvenie today, McKechnie continues this legacy with her approach to the marrying and remarrying of casks, creating a signature flavor profile across The Balvenie Fifty Collection.

The Balvenie Fifty Collection is enhanced further by the packaging developed by Croglin, a bespoke craft workshop based in Cumbria. Each presentation contains over 100 intricate elements, including a four-layer wood helix and beautifully crafted 14 carat gold plated brass display.

The Balvenie Fifty First Edition is now rolling out worldwide, with 16 bottles available specifically in the United States for $53,000.

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Aged for 14 years, the American Bourbon Barrel single malt Scotch is 95.6 proof. The French Pineau Cask is aged 10 years in a combination of ex-bourbon and European oak casks, followed by 8 years in casks that previously held wine from the French Charentes vineyards, which resulted in a 95.8 proof spirit.

Released as “A Collection of Curious Casks,” this pairing of Stories expressions are meant to highlight environment of The Balvenie’s warehouses. Each expression celebrates the power of close friendship and collaboration between The Balvenie’s Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie and Warehouse and Samples Coordinator George Paterson.

“This collection perfectly exemplifies the rare and limited Balvenie casks making their debut,” says The Balvenie Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie. “It is an honor to collaborate daily with talented craftspeople like George, who dedicates his time and craft to shepherding our casks to distinction and bringing our liquid to life. I am delighted to share this opportunity with him, showcasing his expertise and sharing his knowledge of our warehouses with the world.”

These single casks also take inspiration from the private warehouse tastings run by Paterson, which he uses as an opportunity to showcase the distillery’s “hidden gems,” featuring rare whiskies and unusual casks with unexpected character.

“Many would say that I have one of the best jobs in the world working in our warehouses, and drawing samples and monitoring those extra special finishes,” says The Balvenie Samples Coordinator George Paterson. “A true highlight for me is being able to identify the hidden gems, casks that are doing the unexpected and bring to life the conversations about them. It is from these moments shared throughout history and relentless curiosity at The Balvenie that brilliant ideas are born.”

A Collection of Curios Casks join other Stories bottlings, such as 12 Year Old The Sweet Toast of American Oak, 42 Year Old The Tale of the Dog and more recently, the 19-Year-Old A Revelation of Cask and Character.

The Balvenie 14-Year-Old American Bourbon Barrel and The Balvenie 18-Year-Old French Pineau Cask Finish  retail for $114.99 and $399.99, respectively.

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The Balvenie has created a Father’s Day gift set, which includes a complimentary heirloom consultation at Grand Central Watch, a collaborative keepsake book, and $100 QR discount code to redeem a bottle of The Balvenie. The book will tell the individual family story of the heirloom timepiece, the story of The Balvenie Distillery, and the brands’ mutual passion to craft and savor history. Restoration timelines will be dependent on repair needs. Grand Central will provide consumers with an estimation during the consultation.

Consultations are available now through June 30, 2023.

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The Second Red Rose is matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks and then finished in an Australian Shiraz red wine cask. This expression is inspired by an iconic bottling of The Balvenie Rose first released in 2008. The original legendary tale, centered around a rare red rose, began centuries ago when the Fair Maid of Galloway, Margaret Douglas, occupied the Balvenie Castle on Speyside Hill. After the death of her husband, the castle and its estate shifted ownership. Margaret, however, continued to live there, paying the King rent in the form of a single red rose each year. The flower became a symbol not only of intense beauty but that of extreme value; the power of the rose lives on after the castle had been left unoccupied for centuries. The Balvenie Rose was a 16-Year-Old whisky, finished in port pipes that was only available to visitors to The Balvenie distillery.

A Rare Discovery from Distant Shores is inspired by the time that The Balvenie Malt Master David C. Stewart’s long-time friend, John Barrett, brought some samples of Caroni Rum to the distillery. In 2014, Stewart decided to move some 20-Year-Old Balvenie from its traditional American oak casks into the ex-Caroni Rum casks, to give the whisky a rum finish.

The Tale of the Dog, is inspired by one of The Balvenie’s longest-serving characters. “The Tale of the Dog” is recalled by Dennis McBain as one of his clearest memories of working at the distillery, from over 50 years ago. It celebrates the story of McBain as a young apprentice being exposed to a new world of distillery life, as a brewer asked for a copper dog – a little copper tube once used for siphoning off whisky straight from the cask – to be flattened and put back for its owner to find. The humbling tale taught McBain what a dog was, why the expression ‘taking a dog for a walk’ was used at the distillery, and that whoever it belonged to had been sent a message, but ultimately given a second chance. McBain’s memory then inspired his suggestion of using dogs instead of unwieldy valinches for distillery tour tastings. And so, every dog used in Warehouse 24 tours is there because of McBain and his early days at The Balvenie.

“The Balvenie Stories range brings to life our whisky, our Makers and our distillery – sharing the stories of how these unique whiskies came into being. These stories are an important part of The Balvenie, being the way that we pass information from one generation of Makers to the next,” said Malt Master, David C. Stewart MBE.

Naomi Leslie, The Balvenie U.S. Ambassador said: “While always looking forward, The Balvenie is guided by techniques passed down through generations at the distillery to produce excellence.” Neil Strachan, The Balvenie U.S. Ambassador added: “Craftspeople impart knowledge and skill and in this way, each whisky has its own story. The Balvenie believes it’s highly important that these stories are shared with the world.”

Storytelling is carried through every aspect of The Second Rose, A Rare Discovery from Distant Shores, and The Tale of the Dog, with their origins told on the whisky’s packaging. The bottles are encased in a wooden tube box printed with a bespoke illustration specific to the liquids, respectively. The Tale of the Dog bottle is also presented with a replica, flattened copper dog.

These new whiskies join the existing Stories expressions: The Sweet Toast of American Oak (aged 12 years), while past expressions have included The Week of Peat (aged 14 years), The Edge of Burnhead Wood (aged 19 years), The Day of Dark Barley (aged 26 years), and The Creation of a Classic (the original cask finish). Each liquid in the range brings to life a distinct narrative of the human touch, skill, and emotion behind every liquid produced by The Balvenie.

The Balvenie Stories are now available in limited quantities across the U.S. The Second Red Rose retails for $459.99. A Rare Discovery from Distant Shores retails for $1,500. The Tale of the Dog retails for $14,500.

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The extremely rare bottling also celebrates the anniversary of The Belvenie’s renowned Malt Master, David C. Stewart MBE, who is celebrating six decades at the distillery – making him the longest serving Malt Master in industry history. Throughout his time at The Balvenie, Stewart has developed knowledge and pioneered techniques that have had a profound impact on the whisky making processes.

A tribute to Stewart’s career, this single cask was selected by The Balvenie’s Kelsey McKechnie, who has been mentored by Stewart for the past four years. “I have learned so much from David at work,” said McKechnie. “His mentorship has made a profound impact on me and finding a cask to fit such an incredible character in the Distillery’s history is a great honor.”

McKechnie describes the cask as “on the nose the whisky has a mesmerizing array of autumnal aromas; lavender, heather and bracken. Whilst rich toffee, roasted coffee and beautifully layered oak dominate the palate. The flavor evolves with time revealing bursts of cloves, nutmeg, charred oak and candied orange in an exceptional long lasting finish.”

“I started at the distillery in 1962, as a whisky stocks clerk, this liquid; a new make spirit was filled into a collection of traditional European Oak Hogshead casks,” said The Balvenie Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE. “For six decades it has rested and matured, now marking quite a poignant moment for me on my journey.”

The Balvenie 60’s packaging resembles a work of art; made from glass, gold and brass. The tube casing was designed to reflect layers of memories from Stewart’s career. With five layers each etched with personal anecdotes from influential individuals along his journey. The sixth decade is the bottle itself, made from hand-blown crystal and containing a quote from McKechnie to represent this current decade, and the future generations of The Balvenie.

The Balvenie Sixty is 84 proof and retails for $145,000.

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Ingredients:

• 2 oz The Balvenie Sweet Toast of American Oak 12 Year
• ½ oz Lillet Blanc Aperitif
• ¾ oz simple syrup
• ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
• 4 dashes grapefruit bitters

Instructions:

Shake whisky, Lillet, simple syrup, lemon juice and bitters, and strain into a Nick & Nora or a coupe glass. Top with a lemon twist.

Let us know if you have a cocktail recipe you love or if there’s a recipe that you want us to break down on social media with the hashtag, #TWLScocktail. Please drink responsibly.

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[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”19″ display=”basic_slideshow”]Savage & Cook’s Bad Sweater Bourbon

Bad Sweater Bourbon is sure to be a favorite accompaniment to holiday merrymaking. The 4-year old bourbon is made in Savage & Cooke Distillery and is spiked with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, cacao nibs, and vanilla bean.

J. Rieger & Co’s 2020 Kansas City Whiskey Annual Holiday Label

The distillery recently announced its 2020 Kansas City Whiskey annual holiday label. Designed in collaboration with Charlie Hustle, the label was inspired by mid-century greeting cards and holiday ads, including a pre-Prohibition illustration from a  J. Rieger & Co. ad. The whiskey is the distillery’s signature blend of bourbon, rye and light corn whiskey, along with a hint of sherry.

Jameson Irish Whiskey’s Whiskey Trees

The Irish whiskey brand gave away its legendary Jameson Whiskey Tree, which stands at nearly nine-feet-tall and features a holiday lighting system that makes the 130 bottles of Jameson light up. If you didn’t win one, you can make your own — just do so responsibly.

Malbon x The Glenlivet Collection Sweatshirt

The Glenlivet is returning to the fashion world by teaming with Malbon to launch a limited-edition capsule collection of merch that breaks from the traditional golf look. The limited-edition collection, which includes a snapback, golf bag and sweatshirt (seen above).

The Bulleit x Yeti Bundle
Bulleit Frontier Whiskey collaborated with Yeti to debut its gift pack featuring the whiskey they love along with a specialty Bulleit rambler.

Aberfeldy Golden Hot Chocolate Gift Set

Aberfeldy has partnered with Miami’s Exquisito Chocolates to develop a limited-edition hot chocolate mix that creates a golden, shimmering take on the classic hot cocoa, with notes of honey and vanilla.

Woodford Reserve 2020 Holiday Bottle

Woodford Reserve has released its annual holiday bottle, which this year features the festive artwork by UK-based architect Nick Hirst. His painting “Winter Slumber” captures the contrast between the warm interior of the Woodford warehouse and its stone exterior.

The Balvenie x Questlove Holiday Gift Box

Questlove teamed up with The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky to create an at-home happy hour experience with some of his favorite treats from The Grey Market, Fieldtrip, ’57 Chocolates, JuneBaby and more. The box also includes a set of Glencairn glasses, and a set of coasters and cocktail napkins designed by the drummer. 100% of the proceeds will go to America’s Food Fund.

Coconut Cartel’s On The Run Old Fashioned Cocktail Kit

No, this isn’t whiskey but we love Old Fashioneds of all kinds! This cocktail kit includes all of the ingredients to mix six cocktails: Coconut Cartel Special Añejo Rum, cane sugar, Scrappy’s Bitters, muddler, spoon, cocktail picks, and linen coaster.

One Part Co.’s The Master Kit

This bottle infuses half of a standard bottle of spirits. It features a removable stainless-steel infusion basket ready to hold a single packet of any 1pt infusion blend, included inside. The kit also comes with a reusable tasting straw, an instruction guide, and cocktail suggestions.

Bushwick Kitchen’s Trees Knees Bourbon Maple

Making pancakes over the break? Then you definitely need this syrup. It is sourced from an 800-acre farm in NY’s Catskill Mountains and aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels.

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