Balvenie 30 Years Old

Balvenie Thirty is the long-aged single malt anchor of the Balvenie core range, matured for three decades in a combination of traditional European oak Oloroso sherry butts and American oak ex-Bourbon barrels. Bottled at 47.3% ABV, the expression captures the deep, layered character of long-aged Balvenie under David Stewart's selection. This bottling was released in 2013.

Balvenie was founded in 1892 by William Grant on the same Dufftown estate as Glenfiddich, and remains family owned by William Grant & Sons into its fifth generation. The distillery operates its own floor maltings (supplying around ten to fifteen per cent of its barley from the adjacent Balvenie Mains farm), runs an unusual setup of five wash stills feeding six spirit stills with the distinctive Balvenie Ball on the spirit still necks, and maintains an on-site cooperage.

The ex-Oloroso butt previously held a dry, oxidatively aged Spanish sherry, with the oxidation generating aldehyde compounds including sotolon, which carry walnut, dried fig and roasted nut character into the Balvenie. European oak (Quercus robur) is denser and more tannic than American white oak, contributing leather, polished wood and a darker structural backbone. Typical tasting notes include cooked fruit, dried fruit, honey, old wood and vanilla.