The Balvenie – The ultimate Speyside distillery

What makes the distillery and its single malt Scotch whisky so special?

In Dufftown, in the heart of Scotland's Speyside, close to the Glenfiddich Distillery, is the highly respected Balvenie Distillery from the same William Grant & Sons. The Balvenie Distillery has its roots in 1892 and is one of the distilleries in Scotland that still honours tradition and traditional whisky-making values today. The distillery launched its first single malt Scotch whisky in 1971, before which the distillates were used for its own ‘Grant's Blended Whisky’. David C. Stewart, Malt Master since 1974, experimented for the first time in 1983 with maturing The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky in two different types of wood, one after the other. This technique would later become known as refining or finishing. Kelsey McKechnie was appointed the new Malt Master in 2023 after training with David, making her one of the youngest women in the industry and the profession.

The copper pot stills refine the spirit through gentle distillation with 5 wash stills and 6 spirit stills and give the New Make Spirit its complex flavour nuances and multi-faceted aromas. The unique shape of the copper stills contributes to the unmistakable character of the distillery and the absence of chill filtering means that no flavourful aromas and esters are lost during production. The house style reveals dominant honey and vanilla notes. From the smooth and sweet notes of her masterpiece, the Balvenie DoubleWood, to the rich and indulgent flavours of her limited editions, each bottle tells a story of time-honoured tradition and is a tribute to meticulous craftsmanship. Only oak casks are selected to mature and refine the whisky, ranging from ex-bourbon casks to sherry, Madeira, port and rum casks, adding their own subtle influence to the fine drop, resulting in a variety of whiskies with remarkable depth, complexity and character.

Over the years, the Balvenie distillery has brought many remarkable whisky bottlings onto the market and groups them together under specific collections. They are all listed here for a better overview:

Cask Finishes Collection:

Balvenie 12 Jahre DoubleWood, 40% Vol.

Matured for 12 years in American ex-bourbon casks and hogsheads and then refined with a finish in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

Balvenie 14 Jahre Caribbean Cask, 43% Vol.

Matured for 14 years in American ex-bourbon casks and then finished for several months in Caribbean rum casks.

Balvenie 16 Jahre French Oak, 47,6% Vol.

Matured for 16 years in American white oak barrels and finished in French Pineau casks.

Balvenie 21 Jahre Portwood, 47,6% Vol.

After maturing for a full 21 years in American white oak barrels, the whisky was finished in port pipes, large oak casks in which Portuguese sweet wine was previously stored. This whisky is described as David C. Stewart's finest work and has received numerous awards since it was first created in 1996.

Stories Collection:

Balvenie 12 Jahre The Sweet Toast of American Oak, 43% Vol.

The whisky first matured in ex-boubon casks and was then matured in freshly burnt Virgin American Oak casks from Kentucky.

Balvenie 14 Jahre The Week of Peat, 48,3% Vol., ~ 30ppm

This whisky is a tribute to the 1940s to early 60s, when the Balvenie Distillery still regularly produced peated whiskies. With this Stories whisky, the old tradition is brought back and peat malt is produced and distilled in the in-house malting kilns for one week each year. The peat used to fire the stills comes from New Pitsligo, a village in north-eastern Speyside. The peated distillate is matured in American white oak barrels.

Balvenie 14 Jahre A Collection of Curious Casks (Limited Edition), 47,8% Vol.

A single cask bottling matured in an American ex-bourbon cask from 2009. After production for the Week of the Peat Stories whisky, some of the distillate remained, which was blended with the unpeated New Make spirit for combined maturation.

Balvenie 18 Jahre A Collection of Curious Casks (Limited Edition), 47,9% Vol.

This whisky is also a single cask bottling. Originally intended as part of his experimental cask finishes series for the 16-year-old French Oak, David C. Stewart decided to take a different path. The current malt master Kelsey McKachnie took the batch distilled in 2005 and matured the whisky for a further 8 years in French Pineau casks until it was bottled at the age of 18.

Balvenie 19 Jahre A Revelation of Cask and Character, 47,5% Vol.

This whisky boasts 100% maturation in Spanish sherry casks made from European oak. After a trip to Spanish bodegas in Jerez in 2009, the Balvenie coopers and coopers were enthusiastic and collaborated with the bodegas to learn. As a tribute, 19 years of maturation in the precious casks was dedicated to this drop.

Rare Marriages Collection:

Balvenie 25 Jahre, 48% Vol.,

Matured in American and European oak casks.

Balvenie 30 Jahre, 47,3% Vol.,

Matured in American and European oak casks.

Balvenie 40 Jahre, 48,5% Vol.,

Matured in American and European oak casks.

Old and Precious Collection:

Balvenie 50 Jahre The Fifty 1. Edition 2024, 52,3% Vol.

The Fifty Collection consists of 3 editions, each with 125 bottles on the market. The first was released at the end of 2024, was distilled in 1973 and has since rested in a European oak refill cask.

Balvenie 50 Jahre The Fifty 2. Edition 2025

The second edition of The Fifty series has been announced for 2025 and will be matured in hogshead casks using a type of solera process. The remaining distillate of the first edition from the 1973 European Oak Cask will be married with a 1973 batch matured in an American Oak Cask and then bottled.

Balvenie 50 Jahre The Fifity 3. Edition 2026

The third edition of The Fifty series has been announced for 2026 and, like its predecessor, will be a kind of solera bottling. Leftovers from the second edition will be filled with fresh whisky from 1974 and matured in American oak casks, married for a few months and then bottled.

Balvenie 60 Jahre 1962/2022 The Sixty, 42,4% Vol.

The Sixty Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Balvenie is an anniversary tribute to the distillery's famous Master Blender and previous Malt Master, David C. Stewart. The whisky was distilled in 1962 and bottled in 2022 after maturing for 60 years in European oak casks. There are only a few 71 bottles. An absolute rarity!

Single Barrel Collection:

There are currently a number of single cask bottlings with only 300 bottles per cask of a Balvenie single malt whisky matured for 12 years in a first-fill ex-bourbon cask. Just enter “Balvenie 12 Years Old Single Barrel” in the search bar on Spiritory or click here: and find your bottle!

Why is the Balvenie whisky sometimes so expensive?

Older and rare bottles are more difficult and, above all, more cost-intensive to produce. For example, the “Angels' Share” ensures that the filling quantity in the casks is reduced every year, as some of the liquid evaporates. For example, if a 200-liter cask is filled to the brim, the contents of the cask may have halved after a longer maturation period. The distillery therefore has the same costs in production, storage and so on, but can now sell fewer bottles to cover the costs incurred with the proceeds. Therefore, under certain conditions, a whisky is definitely more expensive than one that has been matured for less than 10 years. Another aspect is the choice of cask for maturation. This is because some casks, such as those with a sherry pre-fill or special ex-wine and liqueur casks, are significantly more expensive to purchase, maintain and keep than ex-bourbon casks, for example, for various reasons. Other reasons include special occasions, anniversaries or experiments. Exceptional creations can have the bitter aftertaste that many attempts have failed and the spirit was not good. In such a case, the money invested is initially a loss and must be recouped by selling the successful creation.

What awards has The Balvenie Distillery won?

David C. Stewart, who worked as a master blender and malt master for over 60 years, is a true whisky legend. Not only did he virtually discover double cask maturation and thus enrich the whisky world with exciting finishes, but he and the distillery have also received numerous awards for his creations. Here is a list:

Which Balvenie Distillery whiskies should you definitely try?

1. Balvenie 12 Jahre DoubleWood
2. Balvenie 14 Jahre The Week of Peat
3. Balvenie 21 Jahre Portwood
4. Balvenie 19 Jahre A Revelation of Cask and Character