When William Grant built the Balvenie distillery in 1892, it was as an adjunct to his Glenfiddich production facility on the same grounds, providing a different style of malt from its neighbour, to be blended into Grant’s blends. The single-malt giant still dwarfs its little sister to this day, but The Balvenie punches above its weight in critical acclaim. And now it has a chance for some time in the sun, with the release of The Balvenie Fifty, First Edition (£42,500; 125 bottles available worldwide; exclusive to Harrods in the UK).

The year the cask that was destined to evade blenders for half a century was filled was a momentous one at the distillery at Dufftown – 1973 was either the first or second year (accounts differ on the date) that The Balvenie was released as a single (or “pure”) malt. Not unusually for the time, the distillery had an on-site maltings and a cooperage. What is highly unusual is that, in 2024, it still has both. And one apprentice cooper from the time, Ian McDonald, is 250,000 casks into his career.

Another young worker in the distillery at the time was David C Stewart, who was about to end his 12-year apprenticeship and become malt master for the small matter of 49 years. In that time, he pioneered a number of innovations in whisky, most notably cask finishings. In 1983, The Balvenie Classic (later renamed DoubleWood) was reputedly the first single malt fully matured in one type of cask (ex-bourbon) and then transferred to another (ex-sherry). There had been vatting of liquid from different casks to play with the whisky’s profile, but finishing proved to provide better control over the final flavour. Other distilleries gradually realised the benefit. Specific sherries and different wines would follow as finishing casks, to the point where finishing is de rigueur these days. 

The story of the distillery over the decades is told with refreshing verve in a hardback booklet that accompanies the release. Resisting the temptation to over-romanticise and churn out “heritage” clichés, brand ambassador Sean Fennelly has chosen instead to quote Umberto Eco and True Detective to make deeper points about the passing of time. Its substantiveness is matched by packaging with heft – crafted in Cumbria’s Croglin workshop from various woods and brass.

The liquid itself sprang to life on 12 June 1973 and spent its decades of maturation in a refill European oak sherry butt. It was just weeks into her tenure that the new malt master Kelsey McKechnie, successor to Stewart, selected that cask as the ideal one for this release (as a single-cask whisky without additional finishing).

It is perfumed and fruity on the nose – apricot, peach and a zing of mandarin, along with a waxy overtone typical of the early 1970s, which continues into the mouthfeel. On the tongue, it’s a classically honeyed Balvenie, with caramelised fruit, baking spice and vanilla, and just a hint of mint toffee.

McKechnie has reserved a portion of the cask to meld with the barrel chosen for The Balvenie Fifty, Second Edition, a play on the solera system that will pass the DNA from release to release of 50YOs for the next few years.

thebalvenie.com