Dubai Duty Free and The Balvenie tell The Tale of the Dog

UAE. William Grant & Sons has partnered with Dubai Duty Free to offer the latest addition to The Balvenie Stories range, The Tale of the Dog 46 Year Old.

As reported, the single malt Scotch whisky launched in travel retail in November last year – along with The Balvenie The Creation of a Classic – with an RRP of £16,500 (US$22,000).

Copper rather than canine inspiration lies behind the latest expression in The Balvenie Stories range

The Tale of the Dog 46 Year Old is featured exclusively in ten travel retail locations. Only 33 bottles, drawn from a single cask, are available, including one with Dubai Duty Free in a departures store at Dubai International Airport.

According to The Balvenie, the Stories Collection was created to bring to life the many varied stories that emanate from The Balvenie distillery. The Tale of the Dog takes inspiration from the memories of Dennis McBain, a long-time coppersmith.

The Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart said: “The Balvenie Distillery is built on stories. It’s 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.”

Storytelling is a prominent feature of The Tale of the Dog packaging. The bottle is presented with a replica flattened copper dog [a small copper tube used for secretly siphoning off whisky from the cask] in a leather-wrapped wooden tube, with an illustration from British artist and printmaker Andy Lovell.

His distinctive work aims to capture the light and atmosphere of the distillery’s landscape. It also underlines the importance of human creativity in whisky production and can be seen across the labels and tubes for the entire The Balvenie Stories range.

Consumers can follow the story of The Tale of the Dog via a 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.

Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO Colm McLoughlin commented: “We are privileged to be one of the few airport retailers to secure one of the 33 limited-edition bottles of The Balvenie Tale of The Dog 46 Year Old.

“This is a testament to the relationship we have with our brand partners, who continuously work with us to bring premium and luxury brands to our customers. This new premium product from William Grant & Sons is sure to be a big hit for any whisky lover or collector.”

The man who inspired The Tale of the Dog: Dennis McBain has been a coppersmith at the Balvenie Distillery for over 50 years

William Grant & Sons Managing Director 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.

“Beyond its rarity as a single cask offering, our Malt Master David Stewart and Apprentice Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie selected this exceptional cask, paying homage to our long-serving coppersmith Dennis McBain and his tireless service while revealing a little secret found within our distillery.

“This is an exceptional whisky from The Balvenie which we are delighted to showcase to the whisky community through several of our global partners.”

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.

Food & Beverage The Magazine eZine