THE BALVENIE FIFTY SELLS AT MALE’ INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR $39,000

One of just 88 bottles of The Balvenie Fifty has been sold in GMR Male' International Airport, The Maldives, just nine days after going on display. The bottle was purchased by a Chinese passenger for US$39,000.

William Grant & Sons launched the limited edition The Balvenie Fifty last month as a
tribute to The Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart, who celebrates his 50^th anniversary at The Balvenie Distillery this year.

The Balvenie Fifty originated as a newly distilled spirit in 1962, then matured in a European oak sherry hogshead for the next 50 years. The nose is described as fragrance and floral with fruit and oak. Citrus notes of orange peel and lemons give way to vanilla and honey with a final hint of cinnamon and oak. The taste is velvety sweet and soft, finishing with a delicious citrus sweetness. Abv is 44.1%,

Presented in a hand blown glass bottle within a wooden case, The Balvenie Fifty was displayed on a specially made plinth in Male’ International Airport. 

William Grant & Sons brand Development Manager India Sub Continent Neeraj Sharma comments: "GMR Male' International Airport has emerged as a key destination for our Premium aged Single malts and we have seen tremendous response to both Glenfiddich and The Balvenie range. With The Maldives being a top luxury travel destination in the ISC, we believe that Male Duty Free can act as a gateway to the great collection of rare and vintage malts we have in the portfolio.."

Male' Duty Free is only the second duty free shop in the APAC region to have sold a bottle of The Balvenie Fifty, the first being Changi in Singapore.

Press enquiries: Rowena Holland, Essential Communications.

Email: row@essentialcommunications.org

October 2012

Notes to editors

About The Balvenie

• The Balvenie is a unique range of single malts created by David Stewart, The Balvenie Malt Master. Each has a very individual taste, but each is rich, luxuriously smooth and underpinned by the distinctively honeyed character of The Balvenie.

• Born in Ayr on the west coast of Scotland in 1945, David Stewart joined William Grant & Sons in 1962, the year before Single Malt Scotch Whisky was first officially exported to England. He was appointed the distiller’s Malt Master in 1974 and his renowned ability to identify the finest casks of whisky for maturation has helped William Grant & Sons earn the Distiller of the Year accolade an unprecedented eight times (2010, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2001, 2000 and 1999).

• The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky is produced by William Grant & Sons Ltd, an award-winning independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today run by his direct descendants.

• The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky is produced by William Grant & Sons Ltd, an award-winning independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today run by his direct descendants.