Balvenie Sixty
David Stewart needs no introduction to anyone interested in Scotch malt whisky. His signature appears on every label of contemporary bottled editions of Balvenie. And Balvenie itself is one of the most well-known and highly regarded among whisky connoisseurs producer from the Speyside region. Suffice it to say that it was Balvenie that was among the forerunners of the now ubiquitous trend of additional maturation of whisky, the so-called wood finishing. And it is thanks to David Stewart, who has been involved in the process since the 1980s.
David C. Stewart MBE has just celebrated 60 years of service to the Scottish distilling industry. He started in 1962 as a clerk, keeping records of whisky maturing in warehouses. Fresh distillate, flowing from Balvenie's alembics, entered the barrels, and David Stewart recorded its arrival in the warehouse. And it is one of its first registers that has survived intact to this day. A single European oak barrel dating back to 1962 has just been selected by David Stewart's apprentice Kelsey McKechnie and bottled to commemorate his master's anniversary.
Balvenie Sixty is the oldest edition of whisky from the distillery to date. Bottled as a single cask, it is the smallest edition of the Balvenie whisky. Only 71 hand-blown decanters were created, offered in specially prepared tubes, five layers of which are covered with excerpts from the speeches of influential figures in the industry, with whom Jubilat had contact along his career path.
According to McKechnie, who has been working under David Stewart for four years, the bouquet of the whisky he selected is characterized by "autumn aromas" - lavender, heather and ferns. Its flavor, on the other hand, features notes of toffee, coffee and oak, while the finish will have accents of cloves and orange peels.
As you can easily guess, with such a minimal amount, this whisky will become a coveted and sought-after item in the most outstanding collections. And this is regardless of the fact that the purchase of a single decanter means an expense of £145,000.
Balvenie Distillery, where David C. Stewart has spent the last 60 years of his working life, this is the second whisky label founded by the now legendary William Grant in 1892. The first was the market leader in single malt whisky, located next door to Glenfiddich. The new distillery takes its name from the ruins of a medieval castle, located on a hilltop near the distillery, on the outskirts of the town of Dufftown, often referred to as the capital of Scottish malt whisky. In 1993, the light of day was seen with Balvenie 12yo DoubleWood, one of the first whiskies to mature using a technique known as wood finish, which is a relatively short additional maturation in specially selected casks, in this case sherry casks. Balvenie is one of the few whisky makers in Scotland that continues to carry out traditional malting of barley.
The House of Whisky Online has in its current offering a wide range of whiskies from Balvenie. We encourage you to visit and look for something for yourself on our shelves - you will find there both whiskeys for everyday tasting, those more festive and rare, as well as real gems, which can become an ornament of many a collection.
[26.10.2022 / photo: Balvenie]