The Balvenie distillery has just unveiled several limited edition single cask whiskies as part of their Stories Range, A Collection of Curious Casks. It's a peek into the world of cask maturation, where Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie teams up with Warehouse and Samples Coordinator George Paterson to hand-pick a few casks that truly stand out from the crowd and produce whiskies with unique and unusual characteristics. 

First up, we have The Balvenie 14-Year-Old American Bourbon Barrel. This expression was originally meant to be a 12-year-old single cask, but something interesting happened along the way. It was distilled right after the distillery's "peat week," which means the barley used was dried with peat smoke, giving the whisky a more distinctive smoky character.

Next, there's The Balvenie 17-Year-Old New Spanish Oak Cask. This whisky started its life in traditional whisky casks before being transferred to unseasoned Spanish oak butts in 2019. These unseasoned casks are brand new and haven't been used to mature any spirit before, so they impart more robust flavours into the whisky.

Then, we have The Balvenie 18-Year-Old French Pineau Cask, a whisky with a link to the experiments conducted by former Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE, when he was developing The Balvenie's 16-Year-Old French Oak. This particular whisky continued its maturation journey in Pineau des Charentes casks for another eight years. Pineau des Charentes is a fortified wine from the Cognac region of France made by adding Cognac eau-de-vie to unfermented grape juice.

These 3 expressions would join The Balvenie 11-Year-Old Hungarian Red Wine Cask which is exclusively available to travellers. 

“This collection exemplifies the rare and limited Balvenie casks making their debut. It is an honour to collaborate with talented craftspeople like George each and every day, a man who dedicates his time and craft to shepherding our casks to distinction and bringing our liquid to life. I am delighted to share this opportunity with him, to showcase his expertise and share his knowledge of our warehouses with the world.”

– Kelsey McKechnie, The Balvenie Malt Master 

The 14-Year-Old American Bourbon Barrel and 18-Year-Old French Pineau Cask are now available at iShopChangi and Paneco. The 17-Year-Old New Spanish Oak Cask is a bit more exclusive and can only be found at The Distillers Library in Singapore, a private client space at William Grant & Sons' Singapore office which offers access to rarer expressions. 

The Balvenie Whisky Immersive Experience

To commemorate the launch of A Collection of Curious Casks, The Balvenie is partnering with 7 bars to host a series of whisky pairing sessions around Singapore. 

Guests will get to learn about the Five Rare Crafts that make The Balvenie special, while experiencing a pairing of The Balvenie with specially made chocolate bon-bons.

Learn more about A Collection of Curious Casks on The Balvenie's official website.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team