Collectable expressions for passionate whisky enthusiasts to enjoy.
Unique and unrepeatable, The Balvenie Tun 1509, The Balvenie Single Barrel Traditional Oak Aged 25 Years, and The Balvenie Fifty, Cask 4567 are the three extremely rare and collectable whiskies from Balvenie legendary warehouses.
Following the release of nine batches of the highly-acclaimed Tun 1401—arguably one of the most collectable and sought-after whiskies on the market—David Stewart is now applying the same unique marrying concept to a new expression – The Balvenie Tun 1509. The eponymous marrying vessel used to create this whisky differs to its predecessor in that it holds roughly four times the volume, allowing David the opportunity to showcase an even greater complexity in the marriage. To create the first batch of Tun 1509, David carefully hand selected 42 of the finest casks – 35 traditional American oak barrels and seven European oak sherry butts – from the distillery’s precious aged stocks. All were transferred to Tun 1509, which sits in Warehouse 24 for several months before bottling.
Following the successful debut of the 12 year old Single Barrel First Fill, which was released in early 2013, and the 15 year old Single Barrel Sherry Cask, launched in the spring of 2014; a third Single Barrel release, The Balvenie Single Barrel Traditional Oak Aged 25 Years – drawn from a refill American oak barrel – will complete the range this October. These three different cask types – first fill, refill American oak and European oak – are the DNA of The Balvenie range, as they are the casks most widely used for maturation. However, only a select few of these casks are chosen by David Stewart for bottling individually. Each bottling of The Balvenie Single Barrel Traditional Oak Aged 25 Years forms a limited edition of no more than 300 hand-numbered bottles drawn from a single cask, making every bottle unique and unrepeatable. The Balvenie Single Barrel Traditional Oak is non chill-filtered and bottled at a higher strength of 47.8% ABV offering whisky enthusiasts a “straight from the cask” experience. Available mid-October in select markets, this expression will have a suggested retail price of $599.
Completing this season’s releases is The Balvenie Fifty, Cask 4567. Filled with newly distilled spirit in 1963, The Balvenie Fifty, Cask 4567 was matured in a European oak sherry hogshead, rarely used in the whisky industry. According to Balvenie, over the following 50 years, the interaction between spirit and oak has produced an impeccably well-rounded single malt. The Balvenie Fifty, Cask 4567 is presented in a hand blown glass bottle surrounded by a handcrafted wooden case. The elegantly engraved bottles were created by Brodie Nairn of Glasstorm while the exquisite cases are the work of Master Craftsman Sam Chinnery. The cases are comprised of forty-nine rings of wood and a closing layer in brass that echoes the fittings of the distillery’s stills and spirit safes. Due to its rare nature, this bottle has extremely limited availability with just 131 bottles available worldwide and only 15 of those in the United States. The Balvenie Fifty, Cask 4567 is a non-chill filtered release with an ABV of 45.4%. It has a suggested retail price of $38,000.
