William Grant & Sons has just unveiled The Balvenie Fifty Collection, a trio of rare whiskies, each with a 50-year age statement to represent five decades of the distillery’s craftsmanship. Only 125 bottles from this collection will be released each year for the next three years.

The First Edition, which kicks off the series, is a single cask expression matured in a European oak refill butt (cask number 8720, if you're interested). This whole journey began back in 1973 under the watchful eye of former Malt Master David Stewart (known for pioneering whisky cask finishing), with the cask being filled by Stewart and the distillery's craftspeople. According to the company, many of those same craftspeople are still working at The Balvenie today. The Second Edition will bring in an American oak hogshead, also filled in '73, to add another dimension to the whisky. And for the grand finale, the Third Edition will introduce a third cask – an American oak barrel filled in 1974.

Current Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie and former Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE

Prior to bottling, the casks were hand-picked by Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie who is now carrying the torch. The packaging of The Balvenie Fifty First Edition is designed by Croglin, a bespoke craft workshop in Cumbria. The design involves talking over 100 different elements, including a helix structure made from four layers of wood with an incredible level of precision – the tolerance for error is less than 1/10th of a millimetre. And to top it off, the display is adorned with 14-carat gold-plated brass.

To celebrate the launch, Global Brand Ambassador Charlie Metcalfe hosted an exclusive event in Singapore at The Distiller's Library by William Grant & Sons.

We got an opportunity to participate and were treated to a curated selection of exceptional Balvenie whiskies spanning five decades, including the Founders Reserve (from the 1970s!), the 12-Year-Old DoubleWood, the 21-Year-Old Portwood, the 30-Year-Old Rare Marriages, and the 19-Year-Old A Revelation of Cask and Character. You can read our review of these iconic expressions here!

Official Tasting Notes

Nose:

Elegant and captivating. Aromas of deep fruits, cassis and candied apricots, layered atop delicate cedar and a warming nutty spice.

Taste:

An exceptional Balvenie. Flavours of caramelised fruits, rich spice and soft vanilla marry together with a delicate ginger spice and citrus zing.

 

The Balvenie Fifty First Edition will be bottled at a respectable 52.3% ABV and will be available in limited quantities across Southeast Asia. The Second Edition and Third Edition will follow in 2025 and 2026.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team