The Balvenie is the sister distillery to the ever-popular Glenfiddich (both are owned by William Grant & Sons), but this Speyside operation makes very different whisky from its much bigger sibling. To that end, the distillery is releasing two new single-cask single malt whiskies this summer as part of its A Collection of Curious Casks series, each aged for a lengthy amount of time in entirely different types of barrels.
Malt master Kelsey McKechnie is running the show at the Balvenie now, having take over from her long tenured predecessor David Stewart MBE in 2022, but she collaborated with warehouse and samples coordinator George Paterson on this pair of new whiskies. “This collection perfectly exemplifies the rare and limited Balvenie casks making their debut,” she said in a statement. “Single-cask whiskies are sourced from a unique aging barrel, making it particularly special. These single casks also take inspiration from the private warehouse tastings run by George, which he uses as an opportunity to showcase the distillery’s ‘hidden gems’, featuring rare whiskies and unusual casks with unexpected character.”
The first release is the 14-Year-Old American Bourbon Barrel (47.8 percent ABV), a single malt whisky aged entirely in ex-bourbon barrels, which are a staple of the scotch whisky industry. The official tasting notes describe candied orange peel on the palate, along with woody, earthy flavors from roasted malt and vanilla oak, followed by a lingering finish. The second whisky is arguably more interesting in terms of its maturation. The 18-Year-Old French Pineau Cask Finish (47.9 percent ABV) was initially aged in combination of ex-bourbon and European oak barrels for a decade and then put into Pineau des Charentes casks (a type of sweet French aperitif wine) for another eight years. The tasting notes describe toasted oak and spice on the nose, followed by vanilla, honey, spice, and oaky tannin on the palate.
These two whiskies join other expressions in the Collection of Curious Casks Series, including the Sweet Toast of American Oak (12 years old), A Revelation of Cask and Character (19 years old), and the Tale of the Dog (42 years old). That last one is a pretty old whisky, but not quite as elderly as the Balvenie Sixty that came out a few years ago. I had a chance to sample this $145,000 whisky, of which there are only 71 bottles available, at Nubeluz by José Andrés in New York City, one of the few on-premise accounts that have a bottle. Older whisky isn’t always good whisky, but this is a fantastic release that is not overly oaky or dominated by tropical fruit as can be the case sometimes, with notes of dark chocolate, pineapple, vanilla, caramel, raisin, and cinnamon on the palate.
These new single-cask whiskies are much more affordable than that extravagant 60-year-old—the 14-year-old has an SRP of $115, and the 18-year-old is available for $400—and they will become more widely available starting in late summer into the fall. In the meantime, you can find many other whiskies in the Balvenie lineup available to purchase now from ReserveBar.
