William Grant & Son released The Balvenie Fifty: Marriage 0197, the second in the coveted and rich series. Aged for 50 years and selected from American Oak casks in the oldest sections of The Balvenie’s stocks, The Balvenie Fifty: Marriage 0197 was married with highly rare liquids showcasing Malt Master David Stewart MBE’s skills. Priced at $38,000, this limited-edition expression is described as the ultimate whisky collector’s dream.
“It takes a great deal of patience to create a liquid as unique and delicate as Marriage 0197, but the most challenging tasks are often the most rewarding,” says David Stewart, malt master. “Marrying whisky stocks of this age is a complex art that not only continues to challenge me after 57 years in the business but also affords me the opportunity to explore and experiment with some of our most precious aged stocks.
“The difference between Marriage 0197 and 0962 is only one cask, yet there is an incredible distinction amongst the two expressions. The addition of cask 9920 has added an extra level of depth and intensity, with tobacco & sweet leather initially warming the palate, closely followed by rich, sweet, citrus oak. It has been a real joy to work with some of The Balvenie’s oldest stock once again and it’s an honour to be able to share such a unique whisky with the world.”
Each bottling of The Balvenie Fifty: Marriage 0197 is presented in a beautiful wooden tube comprised of 50 layers, 48 of walnut and two of brass, expertly handcrafted by Scottish wood craftsman, Sam Chinnery, at his workshop on Bruntlands Farm near Elgin, Scotland. The presentation also includes an etched brass certificate and bottle glorifier, inscribed with the tasting notes of each constituent cask and the taste, palette and finish of the final marriage.
The decanters for Marriage 0197 have been hand-blown from 100% lead-free crystal by Brodie Nairn and his team of expert craftsmen at Glasstorm, based in Tain, Scotland. The bespoke design of the glass decanter is a sleek reinterpretation of the classic Balvenie bottle shape, which itself mirrors the silhouette of the copper stills at the distillery.
The Balvenie has a long history of 50-year-old variants. Its first was a 1937, bottled in 1987, from a vatting of four constituent casks at a time when such vintages were incredibly rare. In 2002, 83 bottles were taken from the famed Cask 191 – The Balvenie’s last remaining casks from the 1950s – in the distillery’s smallest ever release.