Ti potrebbe interessare anche…
The Speyside pearl
Among more than 120 Scottish Whisky distilleries are enclosed in a small region in the north of the country called Speyside. The abundance of pure water guaranteed by the River Spey and an ideal climate have favored the birth of hundreds of distilleries over the centuries, but there is an incredible concentration of whiskey-related activities in the village of Dufftown. Here we have about a thousand inhabitants and 7 active distilleries, thus it can easily be awarded as the World Whisky Capital.
From this privileged position, the historic Balvenie, founded in 1892, has decided to stop time and proudly keep some traditional production methods alive. The result is a Single Malt with great charm, as well as a perfect witness to the Scottish art of forging exceptional whiskies.
Balvenie
The sweet toast of American Oak
Dalle botti a doppia tostatura a un liquido ispirato a una rosa rara, la gamma Stories racconta le storie dietro i whisky di The Balvenie. Attraverso questi racconti, questa gamma offre uno sguardo sulla vita della distilleria, presentando i Whisky Maker che ci lavorano.
Ispirato a produrre un Balvenie ancora più fruttato e dolce, l'Apprentice Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie ha avuto la brillante idea di importare botti di Virgin Oak dal Kentucky. Dopo averli tostati profondamente al The Balvenie Cooperage, sono stati riempiti con Balvenie invecchiato in botti ex-bourbon. Il risultato è un whisky dalle ricche note fruttate, tra l’albicocca e la mela gialla, e con spiccati sentori di miele e vaniglia.
Balvenie
The week of Peat
Dalle botti a doppia tostatura a un liquido ispirato a una rosa rara, la gamma Stories racconta le storie dietro i whisky di The Balvenie. Attraverso questi racconti, questa gamma offre uno sguardo sulla vita della distilleria, presentando i Whisky Maker che ci lavorano.
The Week of Peat, nasce dal desiderio di Ian Millar di sperimentare il profilo di The Balvenie utilizzando ciò che aveva appreso da un recente viaggio a Islay. Ha così ordinato una partita di torba dello Speyside in modo che, per una settimana all'anno, The Balvenie distilla un lotto di malto torbato, ottenendo un whisky ricco di note di miele, vaniglia e agrumi con uno strato extra di delicata affumicatura.
The Balvenie's secrets
Barley
Distilleries have been buying the barley necessary for whisky production from outside for a long time now. Nor does the national specification stipulate that cereals must be of Scottish origin.
And yet the Balvenie Mains, a land of over 300 hectares adjacent to the distillery, is still planted with barley, which will be used for malting in the distillery.
Malting Floor
The Balvenie remains the only one distillery in the Highlands to use a traditional malting floor for part of its production, where the wet barley is spread, turned by hand for days and malted in the historic proprietary oven.
This process requires a lot of energy and time, but allows you to fully manage the processing of the raw material. And there are fewer than 10 distilleries across Scotland that can still boast artisanal malting.
Cooperage
In each distillery rest thousands of barrels, through which the distillate will fulfill its alchemy over the years, developing unique aromas and flavors. Cask is king, they say.
It is therefore obvious that the quality of the woods is fundamental and for this reason a coopers' workshop is still in operation in Balvenie, a cooperage that assembles the various types of barrels and selects the most suitable staves. An activity now outsourced by many distilleries.
The Legend
The Career
Malt Master David Stewart is today the most experienced person still operating in a Scottish distillery.
He began his career in Balvenie in 1962, at the age of 17, and has been among the protagonists of the birth and growth of the single malts category in the last half century.
David is the father of successful whiskies such as Balvenie 12 year old Double Wood, but he also got to create official bottlings by selecting 40 and 50 year old barrels.
The pioneer
With an extraordinary nose and sensitivity, David was among the first to experiment unconventional aging, studying double maturation techniques.
Until the 1960s, whisky was mostly aged in barrels of European oak formerly Sherry wine, then in recent decades the American oak used for Bourbon has taken over.
When this change took place, Malt Master David Stewart was among the first to realize that it was possible to use both woods in order to add complexity to the spirits.
Discover Balvenie Double Maturation
Balvenie
12 Double Wood
The Balvenie 12 Double Wood, present for a long time in the Balvenie core range, spends about 10 years in ex-Bourbon barrels and then receives a further two-year refinement in first-fill European oak barrels that used to contain Sherry.
Balvenie
14 Carribean Cask
The Balvenie 14 Carribean Cask spends fourteen years aging in ex-Bourbon barrels and then receiving an extra maturation of a few months in barrels that contained a blend of Rums from the Malaysian Archipelago, selected by David Stewart himself.
Balvenie
12 Y.O. First Fill
From a single first-fill ex-Bourbon barrel, a symphony of malt, vanilla and yellow fruit.
Balvenie
15 Y.O. Sherry Cask
From a single ex-Sherry cask, with deep notes of red fruit and chocolate.
Balvenie
25 Y.O. Traditional Oak
A quarter of a century in a single second-fill barrel, for less than 300 bottles produced.
Balvenie
17 Y.O. Doublewood
The perfect balance between the two contrasting worlds of Sherry and Bourbon. Notes of ginger, cinnamon, eucalyptus, lime and honey.
Balvenie
30 Y.O. Single Malt
Aged thirty years in traditional and European oak barrels, in order to create a single malt with unique depth and complexity.
Balvenie
40 Y.O. Single Malt
Elegant, intense, bright and awarded Best Scotch Whisky at the 2017 IWSC. A sacred monster in the Single Malt category.
