Review: The Balvenie Stories – The Creation of a Classic
Review: The Balvenie Stories – The Creation of a Classic
The Balvenie Stories line of single malts has showcased no shortage of tales over the years about various Balvenie craftsmen and craftswomen who have created unique single malts. Whether through experiments with barley and peat or the use of estate-grown ingredients, these whiskies have helped to highlight the Speyside distillery’s dedication to innovation not through automation but through individuals, or so the story goes. In late 2021, The Balvenie finally got around to telling the biggest tale of all, the one that turned them into an iconic single malt brand and made all those other stories possible. But for some reason, they chose to tell it only in Travel Retail. Go figure.
The Creation of a Classic is a non-age-stated single malt finished for an unspecified period in oloroso sherry casks. It’s not an exotic whisky, and it’s not supposed to be. It tells the story of Scotch whisky icon David Stewart who, as of this writing, is the longest serving malt master in the industry. More specifically, it commemorates the pivotal moment in 1983 when Mr. Stewart unveiled the first barrel-finished single malt to the world. Today, single malts are finished in an ever-growing array of casks, but forty years ago, the sherry finished Balvenie Classic was the very first to see two types of barrels. Let’s check out this reinterpretation of that historic whisky.
The aroma is round and leathery with a rich malty foundation. Top notes of buttery short breads, new boots, and honeycomb erode into a mix of vanilla pudding and caramelized sugar. As with Balvenie’s DoubleWood, the successor to the Classic, the bourbon barrel seems to be doing most of the heavy lifting with only subtle, winey hints of currants coming through. The palate is sweet and oily, full of brown sugar and nougatine. The sherry is well-integrated, even more so than in our recent tasting of the DoubleWood, with a layer of sugared almonds and gentle spice that adds just enough complexity to an otherwise classic, honeyed malt. The finish is warming, even at its modest proof, with a bit of white pepper, soft baking spice, and a flourish of dried orange peel and sugary berries. A shame this one didn’t make it to the masses.
86 proof.
B+ / $70 / thebalvenie.com [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
The Balvenie Stories - The Creation of a Classic
$70
