The Balvenie launches 17 year old DoubleWood

Press Release

The Balvenie’s family of single malt Scotch whiskies has grown with the arrival of The Balvenie DoubleWood, Aged 17 Years – a significant new addition to the range from Scotland’s longest-serving Malt Master, David Stewart, which will be available in South Africa for the first time from June 2014.

The DoubleWood 17 Year Old is an elder sibling to DoubleWood 12 Year Old, The Balvenie’s most popular expression. The new aged version shares the same DNA and the honeyed, spicy characteristics as the 12 Year Old, but it is distinctly different, with deeper vanilla notes, hints of green apple, creamy toffee and a striking richness and complexity.

“The “cask finishing” technique is at the heart of The Balvenie DoubleWood – it sees the whisky matured first in American oak barrels, which impart soft sweet vanilla notes, before being transferred to European oak sherry casks. The second cask ageing adds a depth and fullness of flavour. We are very excited to be introducing the rich, spicy flavours of the 17 Year Old Doublewood to the South African consumers,” adds Marketing Manager Lauren Kuhlmey.
The Balvenie 17 Year Old DoubleWood has an MRP of R1 399 and will be available in all leading liquor stores nationwide.

Tasting notes:The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year Old is an expertly proportioned single malt with distinctive rich vanilla oak, with honey and layers of sweet spices. On the nose, it is elegant and complex with oak, vanilla, honeyed sweetness and a hint of green apple. To taste, it is sweet with dried fruits, sherbet spice, toasted almonds and cinnamon, layered with a richness of creamy toffee notes and traces of oak and deep vanilla

Chivas Brothers "The Century of Malts"

The rare and collectable "The Century of Malts" Scotch Blended Malt Whisky is best described on the side of the box this precious whisky is packaged in. It reads:

"ONE HUNDRED SINGLE MALTS. This bottle contain 100 single malt Scotch whiskies - an unequalled collection. From the Highlands and the famous Spey Valley, the distant Islands, and the soft, harmonious Lowlands, a hundred ancient oak casks have yielded their treasure. The result is superb, of incomparable richness and age. Only the cellars of Chivas Brothers could produce such an historic tribute to the spirit of SCOTCH MALT WHISKY".

These are the 100 distilleries single malts Scotch whiskies in The Century of Malt: Aberfeldy, Aberlour, Allt a 'Bhainne, Ardbeg, Auchentoshan, Auchroisk, Aultmore, Balblair, Balmenach, Balvenie, Banff, Ben Nevis, Benriach, Benrinnes, Benromach, Blair Athol, Bowmore, (Royal) Brackla, Braeval, Brechin, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Caperdonich, Clynelish, Convalmore, Cragganmore, Craigduff, Craigellechie, Dailuaine, Dallas Dhu, Dalmore, Dalwhinnie, Deanston, Dufftown, Fettercairn, Glen Albyn, Glenallachie, Glenburgie, Glencadam, Glen Craig, Glen Elgin, Glen Esk, Glenfarcles, Glenfiddich, Glengarioch, Glenglassaugh, Glen Grant, Glengoyne, Glenisla, Glen Keith, Glenkinchie, The Glenlivet, Glenlochy, Glenlossie, Glen Mhor, Glen Moray, Glenrothes, Glen Scotia, Glen Spey, Glentauchers, Glenturret, Glenugie, Glenury Royal, Highland Park, Imperial, Inchgower, Inchmurrin, Inverleven, Isle of Jura, Kinclaith, Knockando, Ladyburn, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ledaig, Linkwood, Littlemill, Longmorn, Macallan, Macduff, Mannochmore, Miltonduff, Mortloch, Mosstowie, Ord, Pittyvaich, Pulteney, Rhosdhu, Scapa, Speyburn, Springbank, Strathisla, Strathmill, Tamdhu, Tamnavulin, Teaninich, Tomatin, Tomintoul, Tormore and Tullibardine.

There you have it! If you know your distilleries you will notice that some of the distilleries listed have closed down or have been mothballed over time, making The Century of Malt even more special.

You may be wondering why Chivas Brothers have all these other distilleries single malts. All distillers procure other distilleries single malts each year as soon as the new spirit is put into cask. It is brought to their own warehouses to be stored in casks under their controlled and managed conditions to later be blended into their blended Scotch whiskies. There is no single company that owns 40 to 50 different single malts to blend into these blended Scotch whiskies. (Most reputable blended Scotch whiskies contain between 30 and 50 single malts in the blend).

Chivas Brothers hold the oldest stock of aged Scotch malt whiskies in the world today and are uniquely able to bottle many of the oldest expressions of whiskies in the world. This is the reason their whisky ranges are mostly age stated and of the most premium aged stated whiskies in the world. As an example, a brand like Ballantine's, which belongs to Chivas Brothers, has Ballantine's Finest as the standard expression, followed by the various age stated expressions 12 year old, 15 year old, 17 year old, 21 year old, 30 year old and 40 year old age whiskies

Included in the box is a booklet measuring a 95 mm x 75 mm. The booklet is titled " The One Hundred MALTS from Chivas Brothers" and is written by the famous Jim Murray of the Whisky Bible fame.The booklet was published in 1995, the same year this extremely precious whisky was bottled. (Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2013 is available for purchase online at "The Dram Good Book Shop" for GBP12.99). 

I was fortunate to get hold of three bottles of Century of Malt. After giving one away as a present and opening the next at a private whisky tasting, I realised how precious this whisky is. The taste is awesome and 'more-some' but I have resisted opening the third bottle because this is a collectors whisky not realised by serious collectors yet. The photo above is of my last sealed bottle of Century of Malt. It will remain in my collection.

The Scotch - Ballantine's

I met Ballantine's Scotch Whisky ten years ago and I have remained a loyal supporter of the greatest blended Scotch whisky I still know. Ballantine's is Scotch and Scotland in a bottle for many reasons. Ballantine's is a honest legend and is the next whisky in the "Beankeeper" feature section.



The feature will include various expressions in the Ballantine's range. Ballantine's is a keeper.
The above clip is the property of the owner and is shared via YouTube.

Ballantine's Whisky Leaves an Impression

Distilled in Scotland for over a century, Ballantine's has become a veritable benchmark in the world of scotch whiskies.The producers of Ballantine's were the first to recognize the benefits of long ageing in the barrel. This technique, previously reserved for ports or fortified wines, gives Ballantine's premium whiskies their very distinctive flavour.

Ballantine's is the 2nd largest whisky in the world today with sales of 6.4million 9 litre cases worldwide equating to 2 bottles every second being purchased. Ballantine’s has won over 60 trophies and medals in the last 10 years at international competitions.

Ballantine's Finest
The refinement of aromas since 1910Both subtle and elegant, Ballantine's Finest is the most famous whisky in the Ballantine's range. Produced from over 50 single malts, it reveals an inimitable, perfectly balanced taste. Delicate nuances of chocolate, apple and vanilla make this blended scotch whisky a "must".
In the spotlight Colour: Pale gold.Nose: Deep, with spicy notes.Palate: Well balanced with hints of chocolate, apple and vanilla followed by a delicately floral finish.Finish: Sophisticated final notes add a fresh and floral touch.

Ballantine's 12 Year old
Complexity of aromasBallantine's 12 Year Old is a premium blend revealing mellowness and complexity. It is produced by selecting and combining over 40 malt and grain whiskies aged 12 years and over.Launched in the 1950s, Ballantine's 12 Year Old is recognised as an international benchmark for premium scotch whiskies.
In the spotlight Colour: GoldenNose: Notes of honey, sherry sweetness and oaky aromas.Palate: Mellow and complex, floral, revealing notes of honey, vanilla and oak.Finish: Long, fresh and slightly salty.

A Scottish adventure
The brand's beginnings date back to 1827, when George Ballantine opened a grocery store in Edinburgh and sold whiskies selected for their high quality. He went on to specialise in the wines and spirits trade, then to creating and perfecting his own blended whiskies. George Ballantine was then appointed supplier to the British royal family.To cope with the growing demand, he asked his second son to go into business with him, and founded George Ballantine and Son Ltd. The company then began to export and expanded fast.

In 1895, the company was granted the Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria, rewarding the prestigious reputation acquired by Ballantine's in high society.
In 1919, the Ballantine family accepted a buy-out offer from Barclay and McKinlay. The new owners undertook to develop Ballantine's as a commercial brand, thereby promoting the excellent blends they had inherited.

In 1937 the company was rewarded by a Grant of Heraldic Arms, recognising George Ballantine & Son as an "incorporation noble on the Noblesse of Scotland". The heraldic arms that decorate the Grant still appear on bottles of Ballantine's today. The label reflects the key ingredients for making Scotch whisky and is the only whisky to do so.
Since then, Ballantine's has developed to become the leading seller of Scotch whiskies in Europe, and the 2nd global brand of scotch whiskies. Bought by Pernod Ricard in 2005, the brand has been distributed in France by Pernod since January 2006.

An association of character

Ballantine's blended scotch whiskies combine malt and grain whiskies from the most famous regions of Scotland, to create elegant, balanced scotch whiskies of unique complexity.The age shown on bottles of Ballantine's corresponds to the youngest whisky used in its composition.
Two signature malts give Ballantine's its identity and style: Glenburgie and Miltonduff.
Opened in 1810, the Glenburgie distillery is one of the oldest in the Speyside region. It produces a single malt that gives sweet notes of fruit to Ballantine's.- The Miltonduff distillery, also in Speyside,. has produced a floral malt with soft vanilla notes since 1824.Ageing in oak bourbon casks gives it vanilla notes, revealing the floral and lemony characters of the malts.
Each malt and grain whisky therefore offers its own character, whose blending is skilfully orchestrated by the cellar masters to produce the Ballantine's range of premium scotch whiskies.
This range is therefore the result of the work of a dynasty of cellar masters who, in the tradition of George Ballantine, use all their skills in the service of making high quality Scotch whiskies - complex, elegant and balanced.


How to taste


The taste then confirms the olfactory analysis. Take a small mouthful and swirl it around your mouth so that it comes into contact with all areas. Identify:The body: is the texture, the sensation in the mouth, oily, silky, round, velvety, hard?The palate: is the flavour of the whisky spicy, wooded, malty, fruity?The finish: is the taste of whisky remaining in your mouth rich, prolonged, light, dry?


When to drink
We recommend drinking Ballantine's whiskies as an aperitif or digestif, neat, with mineral water or on ice.
Ballantine's Finest makes a great aperitif, ideally as a whisky sour: shake together 4 cl Ballantine's Finest, 4 cl lemon juice and 2 cl cane sugar syrup in a shaker with a few ice cubes and serve in an "old fashioned" type glass, decorated with a twist of orange peel.

Excerpt and pictures from the www.pernod.fr/english website.

The Glenlivet Single Malt

What's in a name?

The Glenlivet Single Malt whisky states that it is "the single malt whisky that started it all". There is one obvious fact why this claim is made. The Glenlivet is the first licensed distillery in Scotland. That is part of the answer. The Glenlivet is the first whisky to coin and use the term Single Malt whisky on it's label and the first to establish Speyside as a region.

Today The Glenlivet is universally recognized as the benchmark single malt against which all other malts are measured. Not only is The Glenlivet made in the Speyside region which is the 'champagne' producing region for whisky in Scotland, but the distillery is in the heart of Speyside.

Today The Glenlivet is America's leading Single Malt.

Aberlour single malt whisky

Whiskies are my passion. Speyside whiskies are a particular love and most of all I love the most internationally awarded single malt (not because of the many awards),  because Aberlour Single malt is simply superb.

I introduced Aberlour to a group of trendsetters in Cape Town. So impressed were these fine living gentlemen that they promptly ordered an entire cask from the Aberlour distillery. This is not a cheap exercise but the reward was more than enough. The casks total content was bottled into 250 x 750ml bottles and delivered to South Africa. The majority of the bottles were sold to collectors due to the unique personalized labels.

So passionate were these trendsetters and the followers of the trendsetters that Aberlour became a leading poured whisky in many of the high fashion outlets attended by these Aberlour fans.

Aberlour 10 year old is available in South Africa.