Aged 15 years. Estd. 1892. Cask type sherry cask. Cask Notes: This single malt has been matured exclusively in a European oak sherry butt for at least fifteen years. Our malt mater carefully samples the aged whisky, cask by cask. He will select only single malt characterised by dried fruit sweetness, rich oak and spice to be bottled as The Balvenie single barrel sherry cask. The craft of whisky-making and the alchermy of cask, spirit and time are embodied perfectly by The Balvenie single barrel. Each cask tells its own story and its yield is, by nature, one of a kind. This bottle is one of no more than 800 drawn form a single cask. Carefully sampled and selected by David C Stewart. The Balvenie malt master. Non chill-filtered release. The Balvenie distillery remains totally dedicated to the traditions, care and craftsmanship of malt whisky making and has been owned and managed by the same independent family company for five generations. We understand the importance of using the finest oak casks. Indeed, casks are so important to the taste of The Balvenie that we entrust their care only to our on-site craftsmen. Our coopers check the quality of all the casks we use and make any necessary repairs to ensure they are secure, watertight and ready to be filled with new make spirit. Our coopers possess skills that have been passed down through the generations and the tools they use are often as old as the craft itself. The Balvenie single barrel derived its name from the fact that it is drawn from a single cask of a single distillation. No two casks - even of the same type and filled with new make from the same distillation - will produce an identical single malt, so each bottling of The Balcenie single barrel forms a limited edition, with each hand-numbered bottle carrying the number of the cask in which it was matured. Tasting notes - whilst no two casks will ever produce an identical single malt, because of the careful sampling and selection by our Malt Master, The Balvenie single barrel sherry cask has a consistent character that is rich with elegant oak and subtle spice. Dried fruits are overlaid with a gentle nuttiness, leading to a long and sherried finish. Toasting or charring is a necessary part of making casks as oak staves must be heated in order to be shaped. American oak tends to be toasted and charred while European oak is toasted. In These days, because it recognised that toasting is fundamental to the maturation process, European oak casks tend to be toasted more heavily. European oak is more porous than American oak which means that with temperature changes there is more movement of spirit in the out of the wood during maturation. This movement of whisky into the toast layer ha a very particular influence on the taste of the maturing spirit, imparting notes of dried fruits, nuttiness and spice and adding a rich, oily mouthfeel. The Balvenie single barrel sherry cask is drawn from European oak butts that have previously been used to mature Oloroso sherry, which helps prepare the oak for whisky maturation. Sherry butts are one of the larger style of cask, holding around 500 litres when filled. Riven: Used to attach the ends of the hops. Quarter hoops. End & binder hoops. Toasting: The toasted inside of the cask has a very particular influence on the maturing spirit. Stave: The boards making up the sides of the cask. Handcrafted to be enjoyed responsibly. 47.8% alc./vol. 95.6 The Balvenie Distillery Co. Balvenie Maltings, Dufftown, Banffshire, Scotland AB55 4BB.