THE BALVENIE UNVEILS TRIPLE CASK RANGE EXCLUSIVE TO TRAVEL RETAIL

Trio of single malts created especially for international travellers

Frequent flyers will soon be able to top up their single malt Scotch whisky collections as well as their air miles thanks to the release of The Balvenie Triple Cask, a new range of three expressions from the Speyside distillery.

The Balvenie Triple Cask range, which comprises of 12 year old, 16 year old and 25 year old variants, has been created exclusively for the travel retail market, providing international travellers the opportunity to discover still more from this collection of handcrafted single malt whiskies.

The latest release from The Balvenie’s renowned Malt Master David Stewart, who this year celebrated a remarkable 50^th year at the distillery, the Triple Cask range is created by combining The Balvenie that has matured in the three most traditional types of cask – first-fill bourbon, refill bourbon and sherry – in a large wooden vessel known as a marrying tun. These new marriages of The Balvenie are made to precise recipes refined over time by David Stewart to ensure each captures the distillery’s distinctive rich, smooth and honeyed style.

The three age expressions in the range all offer something unique: The Triple Cask 12 year old is elegantly sweet and spicy, with a mellow taste of dried fruits, vanilla and cinnamon; the Triple Cask 16 year old delivers a rich vanilla sweetness alongside hints of toffee and gentle oak; and the Triple Cask 25 year old is deep, rich and complex, with silky oak and spice and an exceptionally long and warming finish.

Reflecting on the release of The Balvenie Triple Cask range, Malt Master David Stewart said: “The Balvenie is known for its rich, luxuriously smooth and honeyed character, so I had those flavours very much in mind when creating these whiskies. I nosed several hundred casks for each expression in the range, making sure we captured and brought together those special Balvenie traits that our drinkers know and enjoy.”

Ian Taylor, Global Marketing Manager Global Travel Retail William Grant & Sons, added: “This is the first time that a range of The Balvenie has been created exclusively for the travel retail market and these beautifully presented new releases are sure to catch the eye of malt whisky enthusiasts on their travels. It is tremendously exciting that David Stewart has produced this range in his 50^th year at the distillery – he is constantly finding new ways to apply his unrivalled expertise and shows no sign of resting on his laurels.”

The Balvenie Triple Cask range has an ABV of 40% and will be available in airports worldwide from April 2013.

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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). In 2012, David Stewart celebrated his 50^th year with the company, making him the longest-serving Malt Master in the Scotch whisky industry.

• The Balvenie is dedicated to the five rare crafts that are used to create The Balvenie’s distinctive taste. It is the only distillery that still grows its own barley, uses traditional floor maltings and keeps both coppersmiths and coopers on site – making The Balvenie the most handcrafted of malts. Having coopers on site at the distillery allows David Stewart to work closely with them to make new types of wood finishes.

• 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.