Destination Cellars bring you the fourth installment of our Distant Socialising events for an evening of great whisky and stories with our international favourites The Balvenie Distillery, where you can enjoy a guided tasting of The Balvenie Stories Series with Ross (including a thousand dollar bottle!) from the comfort of your own home . This virtual tasting event will go live at 7.30pm Wednesday May 20th.



Here is what Ross has to say about The Balvenie Stories series:



"At The Balvenie, stories are our lifeblood. It's what everything is built on. The people that make our whisky, whether they have been with us for 6 years or 60, are absolutely full of them! This is a range of whisky that is based around the stories of how the whisky came to be. The 12, Sweet Toast of American oak is the first creation from our apprentice malt master Kelsey McKechnie and the story of her journey to create the flavour she was looking for. The 14, The Week of Peat we have our previous distillery manager Ian Miller who discussed some innovation with David Stewart MBE, Malt Master and using a spare week in the production schedule put together a beautifully sweet and smoky dram. And finally the Day of Dark Barley, 26. From a rainy day in 1991 using very innovative techniques within the barley, an unexpected whisky in more ways than one. This will be the final release of this whisky as only one batch was made back in 1991 so this is not only a very special 26 year old malt but incredibly rare and about to become much more rare."



We will send you out the sample bottles and then closer to the event we will send you an invitation to join the Zoom meeting. To participate all you will need is your computer or phone. Or you can enjoy the samples in the solitude and sanctity of your home at any time.



Here's the line up of great Balvenie drams:



1. DoubleWood 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky  



A DC favourite dram to get the taste buds going, DoubleWood 12 was launched in 1993, using a process designed by our Malt Master David Stewart in 1982, now commonly known as 'wood finishing'. To make The Balvenie DoubleWood, David Stewart MBE takes whisky that has spent at least 12 years in traditional whisky casks, American Oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads, and moves it to Spanish oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks for an additional nine months. Bottled at 40%abv.



2. The Sweet Toast of American Oak 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky



Inspired to produce an even fruitier, sweeter Balvenie, Apprentice Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie had the bright idea to import Virgin Oak barrels from Kentucky. After deep toasting them at The Balvenie Cooperage they were filled with Balvenie aged in ex-bourbon barrels. The result is a delectably complex whisky with notes of candied fruit, coconut and delicate vanilla. Bottled at 43%abv.



3. The Week of Peat 14 Year Old Single Malt Whisky



Eager to experiment with The Balvenie profile using what he had learnt from a recent trip to Islay, distillery manager Ian Millar ordered a batch of Speyside peat for the kiln. For a week a year, The Balvenie distills a batch of peated malt, resulting in a whisky rich in honey, vanilla and citrus notes with an extra layer of delicate smokiness. Bottled at 48.3%abv.



4. A Day of Dark Barley 26 Year Old Single Malt Whisky



The arrival at the distillery of a batch of dark roasted malted barley, more commonly used in the production of stout, marked the beginning of a 26-year long experiment. The result was a pleasing depth – smokiness and oakiness as well as the classic honey, vanilla and citrus flavours. Bottled at 47.8%abv.



Limited amounts of stock will be available to purchase to attendees on the night (online or in-store purchase/pick up)



Tickets/packs are $75 per person for in-store purchase (or Click & Collect) or $82.95 including postage (calculated at checkout). Your pack consists of four 15ml sample bottles & a tasting mat.



Where: Wherever you are



When: Wednesday evening May 20th at 7.30pm for the live feed (we will send the Zoom link soon). We hope to have the session recorded so people can enjoy the drams when they are free to do so. Or you can tuck in to them as soon as you get them - it is up to you.

Receive invites to future events by joining our Dram Club by clicking here



Questions: 0362313400 or todd@destinationcellars.com.au