The Balvenie distillery was established in 1892 by William Grant in Dufftown, Scotland, nestled in the heart of Speyside. Built on the grounds of Balvenie New House, it was constructed by the Grant family, who aimed to expand their whisky production beyond the success of their first distillery, Glenfiddich. Distinctive for maintaining traditional whisky-making methods, Balvenie is one of the few distilleries in Scotland that still grows its own barley, uses floor maltings, and possesses onsite coppersmiths and coopers to tend to its stills and barrels.
Balvenie began experimenting with a unique cask finishing process that began in the 1980s, significantly impacting the flavor profiles of their whiskies. This approach has made Balvenie a revered name in single malt scotch whisky, known for its rich, smooth flavors and pioneering cask finishes. Today, the distillery continues to be a symbol of traditional Scottish craftsmanship in whisky production.
Given the status of the distillery, my score for this Balvenie-Glenlivet “As We Get It” might not seem fair. However, as I said above, I have no problem with high-ABV, cask-strength whisky. The important thing is that a high-ABV whiskey should be elevated by the strength, not hindered. As a whisky lover and reviewer, part of the fun of tasting is carefully deciphering the layers within a whisky. In this case, however, the pale color and high ABV suggest that this was a case of getting a whisky out of the door. Getting a cask-strength expression to market in a time when this was extremely rare.
Balvenie has, and does, produce some fantastic cask-strength expressions. Given a few more years I am sure this could have been a great whisky. Maybe it is just that Macfarlane, Bruce & Co. jumped the gun slightly.
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