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Balvenie
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Founded
1892
Region
Speyside
Status
Operational
Company
Production type
Single malt
Production capacity
7,000,000 litres per year
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Balvenie is a highly-regarded malt distillery in Speyside and the second built by William Grant & Sons back in 1892. The distillery is still owned by the company today and has been nurtured to become one of the most recognisable and sought-after single malts in the world.
For a long time the purpose of the distillery was the provision of the Grant's blends, however the success of Glenfiddich as a single malt encouraged William Grant & Sons to begin marketing Balvenie as well. In 1993 they launched the 12-year-old DoubleWood, an expression often credited with pioneering the use of cask-finishing and this has become a key motif for the distillery's output in the years since.
Following the successful introduction of their Glenfiddich single malt brand in 1963, William Grant & Sons sought to repeat the trick with Balvenie ten years later. The inaugural 8-year-old was launched in 1973 and it remained the sole expression for the remainder of the decade, aside from an unusual bottling through their Archibald Wallace & Co subsidiary, labelled as "Specially for Ladies."
In the 1980s Balvenie was given a premium make-over and its single malt relaunched in elegant cognac-style bottles. These were divided between Classic and Founder's Reserve expressions, bottled at various ages over the years. Unfortunately however, the demand placed upon Balvenie by the Grant's blends meant its single malt output remained limited.
This all changed in 1990 when Kininvie opened, followed later by Ailsa Bay, freeing Balvenie of this responsibility. Its trademark sherry-finished DoubleWood was launched in 1993 and it remains the flagship expression to this day. The current core range is built around its signature secondary maturation, with the 12-year-old joined by whiskies finished in ex-rum, French oak and port wood. These are supported by regular limited editions, a variety of single cask ranges and an extensive travel retail portfolio.
1892-present
Balvenie Distillery
Dufftown
Keith
AB55 4BB
Scotland
Active brands
Single malt