In 1973, on the moors of the world’s malt whisky capital — Dufftown in Scotland’s Speyside area — William Grant & Sons had assigned a particular activity to European oak cask quantity 8720 at The Balvenie distillery. It was destined to patiently home a potion for 50 lengthy years. Though this time, the elixir, comprising simply barley, yeast and water, mutated into a potent potion; it absorbed the oaky interactions with the cask that honed its texture, tone and style. Some of it evaporated, however what remained has stood the take a look at of time and has been titled the 125-year-old model’s rarest whisky choices: The Balvenie Fifty – First Edition, restricted to simply 125 bottles. Only one out of them is accessible in India.
Charles Metcalfe, international model ambassador of The Balvenie
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At the whisky’s unveiling in Perbacco at The Lodhi, New Delhi, the international model ambassador of The Balvenie, Charles Metcalfe, says, “This whisky has been aged in a European oak sherry cask. This cask was used previously to mature sherry in Spain. We then brought it over and used it to mature Balvenie.” Charles means that casks are basic to previous whiskies as their constructing blocks of flavour. “So everything has to be in balance to create truly exceptional old whisky. And that’s our malt master, Kelsey McKechnie’s job,” he provides.
The Balvenie Fifty – First Edition: Only one out of 125 bottles is accessible in India
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The key to sustaining this stability, he says, is to not permit the oak to take over fully. Detailing the course of, he explains, “We have to pull a very small sample out of the cask and it will be nosed; it will be assessed. We’ll check a number of things — the flavour on the nose and the palate and we’ll make sure that the ABV (alcohol by volume) of the whisky is still at a point that we’re happy with. If it goes too close to 40%, or below 40%, it’s now no longer legally considered a Scotch whisky. We have to keep it above 40. This is one of the things that the stars need to align to create a whisky like this. The only thing we can do is make sure that it’s coopered and stored well. The rest is up to the whisky gods.”
Sachin Mehta, managing director at William Grant & Sons, India & Subcontinent
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The Balvenie made its method to India in 2018. Prior to that, the model was obtainable only by way of the international journey retail channel at choose Duty Free retailers. Sachin Mehta, managing director at William Grant & Sons, India & Subcontinent, says that the model, which additionally makes the well-known Glenfiddich, is testing the waters in India. It has additionally launched 9 bottles every of The Balvenie 25 and The Balvenie 30. “India is new to The Balvenie, which is why we have only one bottle of The Balvenie Fifty for sale here and it is as exclusive and rare as it gets,” he shares. Talking about all that makes India a beneficial market for high-end whisky manufacturers, he admits to the inhabitants’s altering notion of luxurious. “When it comes to alcohol preference, the scales have always tilted towards whisky and with exposure, knowledge and accessibility, more and more Indians are warming up to an ultra-luxe segment of handcrafted whisky. It is not just the product, but also the story behind it that dictates their choices,” he says.
Only 9 bottles of The Balvenie 30 can be found in India
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The Balvenie Fifty delivers aromas of cassis, candied apricots, cedar, and heat spice, adopted by a wealthy palate of caramelised fruits, gentle vanilla, and a delicate ginger end — all anchored by The Balvenie’s signature honeyed profile. This complexity of flavours, says Charles, is the defining curve of any good whisky. “Certainly age is one of the deciding factors of a fine whisky, but a lot depends on how deep and complex the flavours are. Organoleptically, the honey-sweet flavour of Balvenie stands out, for me,” he says. To get these flavours, Charles stresses on coopering, coppersmithing, farming, whisky making, nosing of the whisky and storage. The barley, he says is sourced from a 100-acre farm that surrounds the distillery. “Also, Balvenie uses only two casks: American oak ex-bourbon cask and European oak ex-sherry casks. We have our own team for cooperage. For storage, a lovely, cold, damp Scottish warehouse would be ideal,” he quips.
Only 9 bottles of The Balvenie 25 can be found in India
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The Balvenie Fifty comes in a bottle packaged and crafted in collaboration with Croglin workshop, Cumbria, identified for its handcrafted, detailed woodwork. The most putting characteristic must be the helix construction of layered wooden with tolerances beneath one-tenth of a millimetre, and a 14-carat gold-plated brass show, making the bottle as exceptional as the liquid it holds.
The only bottle of The Balvenie Fifty in India is now obtainable in Gurugram and is priced between ₹60lakh and ₹75lakh
