The Balvenie single malt Scotch whisky has unveiled the penultimate chapter in The Balvenie DCS Compendium, which celebrates the work of the industry’s longest-serving Malt Master, David Stewart.
Chapter Four is titled Expecting the Unexpected. According to The Balvenie distillery, the collection comprises five of the “most distinct and unusual vintages, completely different to The Balvenie’s usual style, that would otherwise never have seen the light of day”.
The company said the range “brings to life the lasting mystery, magic and alchemy inherent in whisky maturation” and highlights how Stewart, in his 56 years in the industry, has “mastered the art of nurturing the unexpected”.
The expressions are aged between nine and 47 years. They include a “spicy” 47yo, an experimental 1982 vintage, a 26yo with a toasted almond flavour and a 1999 Refill American oak hogshead with notes of coconut. Stewart describes the collection’s 9yo as his “greatest surprise”.
“The nature of whisky making is unpredictable and in the case of The Balvenie DCS Chapter Four, means a selection of remarkable and distinctly different liquids have been released that would otherwise never have seen the light of day.”
Chapter Four will be available in global travel retail, with 185 individual bottles of the 1992 Single Bottle Frame (RRP £1,200) available in key airports. Five full chapter sets will also be available, with a RRP of £29,000, in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Dubai and Paris.
Stewart commented: “Despite spending many years studying the science and art of whisky maturation, there are still occasions when I find myself pleasantly surprised with the unexpected direction a liquid has taken.
“The nature of whisky making is unpredictable and in the case of The Balvenie DCS Chapter Four, means a selection of remarkable and distinctly different liquids have been released that would otherwise never have seen the light of day.”
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Stewart said each of the five liquids in Chapter Four present “highly unusual and unexpected characteristics” that the distillery would not have thought possible from the type of oak they matured in and their maturation time.
“It’s incredibly exciting. Chapter Four gives us the opportunity to celebrate these twists and turns and allows us to release an extraordinary series of vintages, strides apart from our usual styles.”
The Balvenie DCS Compendium Chapter 4 whiskies:
- 1971, 47yo (the oldest in the chapter) with a 49.9% ABV and RRP of £21,000. Matured in European oak Oloroso sherry butt. It is described by Stewart as a “pure and unexpected rarity”.
- 1982, 36yo with a 51.1% ABV and RRP £4,000. Matured in European oak Oloroso sherry hogshead and offers notes of dark chocolate. This liquid represents a time when Stewart was experimenting with maturing Balvenie in two different wood types. The experiments would subsequently be bottled as The Balvenie Classic, and then later as DoubleWood 12yo.
- 1992, 26yo with a 49.8% ABV and RRP £1,200. Matured in European oak Oloroso sherry puncheon, with ‘normal’ characteristics of sherried sweetness and notes of toasted almonds.
- 1999, 18yo with a 46.8% ABV and RRP £800. Its distinctiveness comes from experiments by The Balvenie’s coopers which involved toasting the ends of the cask. It is described as “remarkable”, and an unusual liquid with coconut notes.
- 2009, 9yo with a 64.6% ABV and RRP £500. First-fill American oak bourbon barrel and “perhaps the most unexpected vintage”. It is described by Stewart as a “ghost of previous distillation” for its notes of smoke and peatiness.
The Balvenie DCS Compendium Chapter Four is presented in a handcrafted European Ash and brass frame, produced by Scottish craftsman Sam Chinnery. The rarity of each set is highlighted by the number engraved on the presentation case to indicate it is one of just 50 sets available worldwide.
Individual bottles from the set are also be available in a single European Ash presentation frame.
Each set is accompanied by The Balvenie DCS Compendium book, written by former Balvenie Global Ambassador Dr. Samuel Simmons, who this year handed over to Gemma Paterson. The book is signed by Stewart and details each of the five DCS Compendium chapters and documents his personal thoughts in curating the compendium. It also features images from The Balvenie distillery and its craftsmen.
The release of Chapter Four follows the annual release of Chapters One, Two and Three, titled ‘Distillery Style’, ‘The Influence of Oak’ and ‘Secrets of the Stock Model’ respectively.
The distillery said The Balvenie DCS Compendium represents a celebration of its Master Blender’s career, as the industry’s longest-serving Malt Master, and provides a liquid handover of his skill and knowledge to future generations of craftsmen at the distillery.
The fifth and final chapter titled ‘Malt Masters Indulgence’ will be released in 2019.
