The Balvenie was founded in 1892 by William Grant a few years after he founded Glenfiddich, and both distilleries are owned today by the family-run company William Grant & Sons. The Balvenie is the smaller operation—which makes sense given that Glenfiddich is one of the best-selling single malt scotch whiskies in the world—but it has its own distinct character and is a favourite of many whisky fans. The distillery occasionally does its own floor maltings, a process in which the barley is allowed to germinate and then dried to become the malted barley used in the mashbill for all scotch whisky. The entire operation is overseen by malt master Kelsey McKechnie, who took over from David Stewart MBE in 2022 when he retired after 60 years in the whisky industry.
Last year, The Balvenie announced the launch of the first in a trio of whiskies to be released over the next two years called The Balvenie Fifty Collection. McKechnie selected the cask for this inaugural release, but it was filled by Stewart and his team a half century ago in 1973. The cask is a European oak refill sherry butt, which, according to the distillery, keeps The Balvenie’s core character intact even after 50 years of sherry cask maturation. “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,” McKechnie said in a statement. “Using a refill butt for the First Edition provides us with a distinctive flavour thread that will run through our next two releases, demonstrating the spectrum of flavours and aromas in our aged spirit.”
Those next two releases will build upon the first, as subsequent barrels are blended with the original as follows: In 2025, an American oak hogshead cask filled in 1973 will be married with the whisky, followed in 2026 by an American oak barrel filled in 1974 for the Third Edition. This is actually a rather unique way of creating a high-end whisky series, as opposed to just releasing a series of increasingly old single casks. The official tasting notes of the 50-year-old whisky (52.3 per cent ABV) describe caramelised fruit, spice, vanilla, ginger and crisp citrus on the palate.
Only 125 bottles of the first edition of The Balvenie Fifty Collection will be released globally. Each bottle comes housed in a wooden helix tube with a 14-carat gold display crafted by Croglin in Cumbria.
