The race for the world’s oldest whisky has a new leader. The Balvenie has unveiled an extraordinary 88-year-old single malt, distilled back in 1931 and matured for its entire life in a single European oak sherry cask.
Only 17 bottles exist, the price has not been disclosed, and this exceptionally rare whisky will be available exclusively to private clients and collectors.
Until now, the title of the oldest bottled whisky belonged to an 85-year-old The Glenlivet released last year by independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail.
The Balvenie has now surpassed it by three years.
The new release is called The Balvenie Eighty-Eight-Year-Old, and it is also the oldest whisky the distillery has ever offered.
Distilled in 1931 and Kept in a Single Cask
The whisky was distilled on March 5, 1931, and remained throughout its entire maturation period in a single refill sherry butt made from European oak, which arrived from Jerez, Spain.
It was cask number 239.
It was not until 2019 that Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie determined that the whisky had reached its ideal point of maturation and decided that it was time to bottle it.
The result?
Just 17 bottles.
McKechnie explained that she tasted the whisky that morning and believed it had reached perfection, prompting her to bottle it and keep it safely stored until the right moment came to introduce it to the world.
Eighty-eight years spent in a single cask sounds almost unbelievable, particularly when considering how much liquid disappears over such an extraordinary period through what is known as the angel’s share.
What Does a Whisky Aged for Almost Nine Decades Taste Like?
With exceptionally old whiskies, age alone is no guarantee of quality. Spending too much time in a cask can completely overwhelm the spirit, which makes an example like this particularly fascinating.
The Balvenie describes the 88-year-old single malt as a sensory experience reminiscent of the “quiet atmosphere of an evergreen forest.”
On the nose, aromas of honey, mint and caramel emerge, while the palate brings layers of aromatic oak, creamy caramel, velvety honey, warming spices, heather and woodland fern.
In other words, the profile is expected to be deeply influenced by its exceptionally long maturation in European oak, yet according to the distillery, it has retained enough balance to ensure that age is not the only thing you experience in the glass.
Part of the New 1931 Collection
The Balvenie Eighty-Eight-Year-Old has not been introduced entirely on its own.
It forms part of the new 1931 Collection, which consists of three whiskies in total.
Alongside the 88-year-old expression are 12-year-old and 15-year-old single malts.
Both younger whiskies are made from barley malted on the distillery’s traditional floor maltings. They were initially matured in ex-bourbon casks before undergoing additional maturation in sherry casks.
In this way, The Balvenie is attempting to connect its history with its contemporary releases – ranging from considerably more accessible expressions to a bottle that is practically a historical artifact.
The Bottle Is Housed Inside an Art Sculpture
For a whisky of this caliber, conventional packaging would hardly seem appropriate.
The crystal decanter is housed within a sculpture designed by artist Daniel Arsham.
The design symbolizes the eight decades the whisky spent maturing in oak, while at its center is a copper disc made from part of a decommissioned still.
The presentation itself has therefore been conceived as a combination of art, distillery history and a physical trace of the whisky-making process.
The Balvenie has not revealed the price of the 88-year-old whisky.
The company has stated only that it will be available to private clients and collectors, which rather clearly suggests that the figure will be anything but modest.
For comparison, the 12-year-old expression from the new collection is priced at around $100, while the 15-year-old costs approximately $200.
More Historical Artifact Than Ordinary Bottle of Whisky
The Balvenie already has experience with exceptionally old releases, but 88 years represents an entirely new level.
Together with neighboring Glenfiddich, the distillery is part of the Scottish company William Grant & Sons, and releases such as this demonstrate just how deep the archives of a historic distillery can reach.
In this case, the story begins in 1931, stretches across almost an entire century and ends with just 17 bottles.
For that reason, The Balvenie Eighty-Eight-Year-Old can hardly be regarded as simply another ultra-expensive whisky.
It is simultaneously a drink, a collector’s object and a time capsule from an era when no one involved in its creation could possibly have imagined when – or for whom – it would eventually be poured into a glass.
