THE BALVENIE TRIPLE CASK RANGE UNVEILED TO TRAVELLERS IN WORLD DUTY FREE AT EDINBURGH AIRPORT

April 3^rd 2013. Today sees the launch of The Balvenie Triple Cask collection to travellers at Edinburgh Airport, Scotland - a fitting choice for this new range of three expressions from the Speyside Distillery.

The launch, in partnership with World Duty Free Group, sees the placement of The Balvenie Chariot on the main concourse of Edinburgh Airport displaying the full range of The Balvenie Triple Cask. Passengers are being given the opportunity to sample the range and, of course, purchase from the collection. Selections from The Balvenie Triple Cask range have also been introduced in World Duty Free stores at London Heathrow, Gatwick and Birmingham Airports, supported by sampling activity, to capitalise on Easter travel.

Supporting the launch, Malt Master David Stewart - creator of The Balvenie Triple Cask range – says: ‘I am delighted that William Grant & Sons and World Duty Free Group have partnered to launch The Balvenie Triple Cask here at Edinburgh Airport – the gateway to Scotland and its distilleries. The creation of The Balvenie Triple Cask has been very special to me and I am thrilled to be here today to see so many passengers trying and enjoying each expression for the very first time.’

Exclusive to travel retail, The Balvenie Triple Cask range comprises 12 year old, 16 year old and 25 year old variants, created to offer travellers the opportunity to discover still more from this collection of handcrafted single malt whiskies.

Nigel Sandals, World Duty Free Group Buying Manager for Liquor in the UK comments: “It’s fantastic that William Grant & Sons has produced The Balvenie Triple Cask range exclusively for travel retail. Balvenie is one of our best selling Malts and we are fully supporting this launch with in-store activations in selected stores across the UK. A good example of what we are doing is provided here in Edinburgh, where we will be sampling this exceptional whisky with our customers from a bespoke Balvenie Tasting Bar in front of our World Duty Free store.’

Adds John Watson, Edinburgh Airport’s Chief Commercial Officer: “We are delighted to support the launch of The Balvenie Triple Cask collection. Edinburgh Airport’s selection of malt whisky is one of the finest in the world and of the highest quality, offering something for all whisky lovers. We are looking forward to working with David Stewart and our friends at World Duty Free to give our passengers the best choice and experience possible when they travel through Edinburgh Airport.”

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. Each expression offers 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.

Alex Warren, Business Development Manager William Grant & Sons adds: “It’s very apt that the full collection is launched here at Edinburgh Airport and we are very grateful to World Duty Free Group for the team’s excellent support and cooperation in allowing fantastically high profile positioning for The Balvenie Chariot and Tasting Bar. WGS is totally committed to the travel retail category and is a firm believer in engaging with the traveller through exclusives and high profile activations such as this – it continues to be our focus for all our brands and we have many more exciting plans for 2013.’

The Balvenie Triple Cask range has an ABV of 40%.

Image captions:

1. L to R: David MacKay (Trading Manager Liquor, WDFG), Gail Taylor (Store Manager WDFG), Elizabeth Bryan (Liquor Buyer UK, WDFG), Gordon Dewar (Managing Director, Edinburgh Airport), David Stewart (Malt Master, Balvenie) and Alex Warren (Business Development Manager William Grant and Sons).

2. Gordon Dewar (Managing Director, Edinburgh Airport), David Stewart (Malt Master, Balvenie).

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Press enquiries: Rowena Holland, Essential Communications. Email: row@essentialcommunications.org

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.