William Grant & Sons single malt Scotch whisky brand The Balvenie has unveiled two new additions – The Tale of the Dog and The Creation of a Classic – to its Stories Collection.
The new expressions are launching in travel retail this month. The Tale of the Dog 46 Year Old, with a RRP of £16,500 (US$22,000), is featured exclusively in the channel in ten locations including with Gebr. Heinemann. Drawn from an exclusive single cask, only 34 bottles are available.
The Balvenie Creation of a Classic, with a RRP of £57 (US$76), is also exclusive to travel retail and available across all key markets. Both expressions were created to highlight and bring to life stories told by craftsmen at the Balvenie distillery in Dufftown, Scotland.
The Tale of the Dog is described as “luxuriously rich”, with spice and hints of liquorice combining with dashes of bergamot. On the nose, it offers flavours reminiscent of roasted red currants and treacle, eucalyptus and menthol from toasted oak. Its finish is rich, with a honey and toffee sweetness.
A 42-year-old The Tale of the Dog, with notes of toffee, geranium oil and mint musk, is also available as a domestic release.
The story behind The Tale of the Dog takes inspiration from the memories of Dennis McBain, a long-time Coppersmith at The Balvenie Distillery. As a young apprentice and fresh to the world of whisky-making, Dennis was asked by a brewer for a copper dog, which he soon discovered was a small copper tube used for secretly siphoning off whisky from the cask.  The copper dog would be flattened as a way of calling out the illicit activity and expressions such as ‘taking the dog for a walk’ became common at the distillery. It went on to inspire McBain’s suggesting of using dogs instead of unwieldy valinches [a tube for drawing liquors from a cask by the bunghole] for distillery tour tastings, a protocol which remains today. |
William Grant & Sons Managing Director for Global Travel Retail David Wilson said: “The Balvenie Tale of the Dog release is an amazing story which has been brought to life in this very rare 46 Year Old single cask offering which is being made available exclusively for travel retail.”
He highlighted the work of The Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart and Apprentice Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie in developing an expression which pays homage to the long-serving coppersmith Dennis McBain.
“This is an exceptional whisky from The Balvenie which we are delighted to showcase to the whisky community through several of our global partners,” he added.
Gebr Heinemann Director Purchasing Liquor, Tobacco and Confectionery Ruediger Stelkens added: “We are delighted to work closely with William Grant & Sons to be the exclusive European airport retailer to offer this remarkable interpretation of The Balvenie Stories.
“We have always taken great pride in curating an assortment of some of the world’s finest single malt Scotch whiskies and bringing the stories behind them to life, (here) giving our clients an opportunity to own a piece of The Balvenie’s storied history.”
Storytelling features in The Tale of the Dog packaging. The bottle is presented with a replica, flattened copper dog in a leather-wrapped wooden tube, with an illustration from British artist and printmaker Andy Lovell.
His distinctive work, which aims to capture the light and atmosphere of the distillery’s landscape and underline the importance of human creativity in whisky production, can also be seen across the labels and tubes for the entire The Balvenie Stories range.
The Creation of a Classic celebrates David Stewart’s story and accomplishments. The longest serving malt master in the industry, he pioneered the first cask-finished whisky in 1983, The Balvenie Classic. It was created by transferring Balvenie whisky matured in traditional oak barrels to sweet Oloroso sherry casks.
The new expression in The Balvenie Stories range brings the Classic story to life, showcasing the same process; the choice of wood, the warehousing, the testing and tasting.
Consumers can follow the stories of The Tale of the Dog and The Creation of a Classic via a specially recorded podcast series, featuring the craftspeople behind the expression, as well as The Balvenie Global Ambassador Gemma Paterson. The podcast is available through Spotify and iTunes and via a QR code tag inside The Balvenie Stories packs.
“The Balvenie Distillery is built on stories,” Stewart said. “It is what sets us apart and makes our whisky what it is. Each expression in the Stories range has a distinct narrative as to how it came to be, and each whisky tells its unique tale in liquid form through first-hand recollections of the many characters involved.
“The Tale of the Dog is one of the stories people most love hearing about The Balvenie – from a time when you did used to wonder sometimes if the dogs were taking their share, as well as the angels,” he added.
