Balvenie 12 Years Old 2012

One of the Dufftown distilleries, or the one next door to Glenfiddich. Balvenie has been forever in the ownership of William Grant & Sons. The distillery was established in 1892 and takes its name from a nearby castle, which was the original name for the town. Compared to Glenfiddich and Kininvie, Balvenie focuses more on the craft aspect of distillery with its branding. A small percentage of its malt is produced on a traditional malting floor and it retains a cooperage. In relative terms, the distillery has only just opened its doors for tours as it continues to grow in popularity. Assisted by 9 distinctive stills and inventive cask maturation, finding favour with many whisky drinkers. So much so, that Ailsa Bay modelled its stills on Balvenie’s, aiming to take up some demand for blends and let the distillery concentrate on expanding the Balvenie range.