The location
The Balvenie distillery lies in Dufftown in the historical Scottish county Banffshire and is therefore part of the Speyside region, the area with the most whisky distilleries in Scotland. The small town of Dufftown played a big role in the development of Scotch whisky – between 1823 and 1897 alone, seven influential whisky distilleries were opened there. Interestingly, the Balvenie distillery lies directly below the Glenfiddich distillery.
The history of Balvenie
After Dufftown resident William Grant had obtained experience working at Mortlach for several years, he founded the Glenfiddich distillery in 1886. Only six years later, he decided to convert the neighbouring estate into a distillery. It took fifteen months to finish the reconstruction and the distillery was opened on May 1, 1983.
When William Grant died in 1923, he left Balvenie to his son John. He soon started with the expansion of the distillery. In 1929, the malting floor was renovated, and this malting floor is still in use today.
Balvenie’s master blender, David C. Stewart, began working as an apprentice for the company as a 17-year old in 1962. It took only 12 years before he had worked his way up to Malt Master of Balvenie – one year after the first single malt of the distillery had been released.
In 1983, Stewart started maturing Balvenie whiskies successively in two different casks. This process, which is known as “finishing” today, was completely unknown until then. The discovery of the finishing procedure influenced the development of Balvenie as well as the development of the whole whisky and spirit market. Today, almost all big whisky producers carry finished whiskies in their assortment. The first Balvenie whisky that was produced with this new method was the Balvenie Classic.
In 1987, the distillery released its first 50-year old whisky.
How is Balvenie whisky produced?
The production of Balvenie whisky doesn’t start in the distillery; it starts with the cultivation of barley. Unlike many other distilleries, Balvenie grows its own barley on its 4 square kilometre farm. The use of modern harvesters is the only way in which today’s process has changed since the distillery’s foundation.
The distillery possesses one of the few remaining malting floors in Scotland. After the barley is soaked in fresh spring water, it is spread on the malting floor, where it is turned by hand until it is ready for the kiln.
The flavour of a whisky is greatly influenced by the stills that are used. Balvenie uses copper stills that have barely changed since the opening of the distillery in 1886.
Balvenie whiskies are usually stored in selected oak casks for several years. For the refinement of the aroma, some casks are lightly toasted, which opens the pores of the wood and results in a caramelization of the oak. Many Balvenie whiskies mature in two or even three different cask types, which is how they gain their complex aroma.
Balvenie whiskies
More than 20 different whiskies with an age of up to 50 years are part of the Balvenie assortment today. Besides the bestselling series, you can also find single barrel and other rare bottlings in the distillery’s product range. Like many other traditional Scottish whisky producers, Balvenie has specialized in the production of single malt whiskies.
Balvenie whisky at Gustero
In our assortment, you will find a selection of exquisite single malts that stand out for their special maturation techniques. Try, for example, the Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask, which is matured in casks that previously contained rum from the Caribbean. This special maturation is responsible for the smooth notes of vanilla, toffee and caramel. Or try a classic like the Balvenie Triple Cask 12, which spent a total of 12 years in first fill Oloroso, first fill bourbon and refill bourbon casks. Take a closer look at our selection now and discover the world of Balvenie!
