Balvenie Signature

Balvenie Signature is an older twelve year old expression from the Balvenie core range, released in numbered batches and built around a marriage of refill ex-Bourbon and first-fill ex-Sherry casks. The expression sits within the same period that produced the modern DoubleWood 12 but uses a different cask ratio under Malt Master David Stewart. This bottling was released in 2010 for the European market at 40% ABV.

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 citric, dried fruit and malt extract.