The Balvenie Unveils Its Oldest-Ever Whisky With 88-Year-Old Limited Release

The Balvenie has introduced The 1931 Collection, led by an Eighty-Eight-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, the oldest whisky released by the distillery to date. Distilled in 1931 and bottled in 2019 by Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie, the whisky was matured for 88 years in a refill European oak sherry butt sourced from Jerez, Spain.

According to The Balvenie’s handwritten archives, the whisky was filled into cask #239 on 5 March 1931 and remained in the cask under the care of successive generations of the distillery’s craftspeople. Only 17 bottles of the Eighty-Eight-Year-Old have been produced, with availability limited to private clients and collectors.

“Today marks a seminal moment in The Balvenie’s history as we unveil our oldest whisky, ever. The Balvenie Eighty-Eight-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is presented alongside two further exceptional and storied Limited Editions in The 1931 Collection: a Fifteen-Year-Old, made from 100% Home Grown and Home Malted Barley, and a Twelve-Year-Old, made from 100% Home Malted Barley.” said Kelsey McKechnie, Malt Master, The Balvenie.

The collection takes its name from 1931, the year The Balvenie opened its newly constructed Home Malt Floor. It is built around the distillery’s Five Rare Crafts: home-grown barley, traditional floor maltings, coopering, coppersmithing and the role of the Malt Master.

The collection also includes a Twelve-Year-Old made from 100% Home Malted Barley, matured in American oak casks and finished in ex-Sherry Bodega European oak butts from Jerez. The Fifteen-Year-Old uses 100% Home Grown and Home Malted Barley and follows the same American oak maturation and Jerez sherry cask finishing process.

For the presentation of the Eighty-Eight-Year-Old, The Balvenie has collaborated with artist Daniel Arsham on a sculptural installation inspired by the passage of time. The work incorporates eight layers of hand-patinated bronze, 88 symbolic layers of oak and a copper disc made from a decommissioned distillery still. The whisky is presented in a hand-blown crystal decanter featuring The Balvenie Ball and 18ct gold gilding.

“At The Balvenie, I encountered a spirit that has been carefully shaped by generations of people who have protected and refined their craft, while remaining deeply connected to their origins. I wanted to create something that feels both ancient and contemporary, to make the passage of time tangible.” Daniel Arsham, Artist.

The global debut of The 1931 Collection is planned at Frieze Seoul, where The Balvenie will present an immersive performance directed by Arsham. The programme will feature eight acts choreographed by Sukyung Yoo, accompanied by a soundscape created using ambient sounds recorded at The Balvenie distillery.

The performance will take place at Space S50, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, as part of the Official Frieze Week programme. The Eighty-Eight-Year-Old will be available to private clients and collectors. The Fifteen-Year-Old will be available from September exclusively through global travel retail outlets, while the Twelve-Year-Old will be sold in selected markets.