Balvenie Rum Finish

[mar_mcdo]

My dad (who works for Willie Grants) has informed me that they are releasing a rum finished balvenie. any thoughts? im curious....

[Deactivated Member]

I'm sure we will, once we've had the chance to try it!

[Aidan]

I can't wait. When is it released and will it be widely available? Is it a limited edition? Cask strength?

[Deactivated Member]

Sound great.
By the way - there seem to be conflicting messages re the Founders Reserve. Can you ask your Dad what's happening? Are stocks of 10yo being run down to be discontinued, or will it still be produced for certain markets in smaller quantities?

[mar_mcdo]

its only going to available from my dad at the glenfiddich shop, you can get it on their website aswell. it will be available sometime next week and bottled at 14y, not too sure on the strength though. in the case of balvenie founders, it is being phased out. will still be available in the UK for a while, and probably in duty free aswell.

[BruceCrichton]

Ian Millar was telling me how overpowering rum is a method of maturing whisky.

They have to check it nearly every week.

I've had 21 year old Havana Reserve Glenfiddich but not the current 21 year old Gran Reserva.

Might have to ask my contact in Dufftown what she knows about it and if she has tasted it.

[mar_mcdo]

Rum finish is now on the balvenie website, http://www.balvenie.com. its a 14 yo one off botteling from 14 casks, only available on the site and from La maison du whisky in france.

[BruceCrichton]

Rum finish is now on the balvenie website, http://www.balvenie.com. its a 14 yo one off botteling from 14 casks, only available on the site and from La maison du whisky in france.

Is it available from the Glenfiddich shop?

[karlejnar]

Is it available from the Glenfiddich shop?

If it is - beware of the pricing

I paid £60 for a Balvenie Islay Cask there 2 years ago only to realise that the price was generally lower in ordinary whisky shops

And I don't really think Balvenie (or many others) need a Rum finish In fact the only two Rum finished malts I personally liked was Springbank Rum Wood (which you cannot really call a finish - 5 years in rum cask after 7 years in bourbon)
The other one is a cask at Bladnoch where Bladnoch itself still overpowers the Rum after one year.

As you may have guessed I'm not too keen on rum finished scotch. Same goes for most of the wine finished one's. But then again that's just a matter of personal taste

[mar_mcdo]

yes, it is available at the distillery shop aswell. with this botteling tho, your not going to find it cheaper elsewhere! its not available. as for the prices in the shop, they still have to get the stock from the distributer of WGrants products, and they are a small shop so cant afford to drop profit margins. large retailers like oddbins, whiskyshop, supermarkets etc can have offers and cheaper prices because they buy alot more from suppliers = cheaper

[Deactivated Member]

Funny, isn't it? When you buy a bottle at Talisker or Caol Ila, for example, that whisky has been shipped to the mainland for bottling (in Caol Ila's case, for maturation as well), and the bottles then shipped back to the distillery shop, making them more expensive than bottles bought on the mainland. It's the same for most mainland distilleries, if not as extreme. Hopefully more distilleries will follow Bruichladdich's lead and open their own bottling halls.

[mar_mcdo]

i found it really weird when my dad told me he had to get the whisky for the shop from first drinks in glasgow even when the whisky is bottled at the distillery. so its bottled in dufftown, stacked in a lorry down to glasgow then comes all the way back up.....weird, but thats the way its done

[The Dazzler]

Glenfiddich is bottled on-site at the distillery but Balvenie is not! So yes it does get carted of and bottled and then brought back to the distillery shops, and not only at Glenfiddich/Balvenie. What I do believe however, is that the pricing at the distilleries are the prices that a distillery regards as the proper RRP for their respected product. Why should they sell at the prices supermarkets churn it out at, Glenfiddich, the biggest selling single malt worldwide is sold a thousand times over the amount than that the distillery shop sells in a year and therefore the suppliers are at the mercy of the large supermarket chains etc. When buying a bottle at any distillery it surely comes down to the experience and passion of having done and enjoying the tour and buying a memory of that moment, probably worthy of the fee I think.

Slainte

[Deactivated Member]

I generally try to buy at the distillery what I can't get elsewhere, anyway--Bruichladdich Valinch, Talisker Cask Strength, etc. I'm sorry I missed this Balvenie by a month!

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

would that Balvenie rum finish be greenish somehow? I saw that green tinge in other rum finished malts and always wondered where it might come from.
As to bottling on site we all whished that was done more often because it would most probably also mean that maturation was done more often on site.
Glenfiddich does have its own bottling hall because of the blends they make, Springbank has one because after the aquisitition of Cadenhead the latter moved its operations there. The same is the case with Murray McDavid. After helping buy Bruichladdich they moved their operations there. The new bottlings carry the statement "Bottled with Islay water". I have no objection to that, there is unpeated water on Islay but that is a lot of ferrying to and fro.

Greetings
kallaskander

[Jeroen Kloppenburg]

I've seen that greenish tint in a chieftains Caol Ila rum cask finish as well indeed...

Have to say as well, I really liked the Caol Ila rum finish, but I think you need a distillery tyat is capable to still show itself overthe expression. Caol Ila did well, Balvenie might be as well, although it is also quite sweet in nature. Maybe it might get a little too sweet. If anyone tasted it, I'd love to hear

[mar_mcdo]

my dad is sending me a bottle of the balvenie soon, so will report my findings ASAP

[Deactivated Member]

The new bottlings carry the statement "Bottled with Islay water". I have no objection to that, there is unpeated water on Islay but that is a lot of ferrying to and fro.

Not sure what you mean by that last comment.

According to PS&S, the water used for bottling at Bruichladdich is not from the reservoir used for distilling, but from a spring on James Brown's farm (I feel good!). It is clear and peatless. If they did use the reservoir water, I'm sure it would have to be filtered or otherwise purified, anyway, and thus would not likely have much organic material left in it. But that's hypothetical.

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

I meant exactly what you said Mr T. They can not use the water for Bruichladdich to make the Murray McDavid bottlings.
As to the ferrying, well every barrel that is to be bottled must be transported to Islay. A bottling plant on the mainland would be easier to access, more convenient and cheaper, I think.

Greetings
kallaskander

[Deactivated Member]

It's the same water they use to bottle Bruichladdich, and is from a spring on the farm up the hill. It's not the same water used for distilling in either case, which I think would be unsuitable for the purpose.

It may cost them to ship barrels to Islay for MMcD bottlings (and bottles back again), but on the other hand, they already own Bruichladdich. There must be some economy to keeping it all on one site.

[patrick dicaprio]

i wonder if it will be more rummy that Suntory Yamazaki 25 yo. THAT was more rummy than Sea Wynde (which is an actual rum for those who dont know). i was startled when i tasted it.

Pat

[JWFokker]

Did you like the Yamazaki 25?

[patrick dicaprio]

Did you like the Yamazaki 25?

yes but i was so surprised that i want to try it again.

[susywong]

i've just bought 2 bottles of the Rum finished Bavenie, and i can report that there's not a drop of green in sight! It looks exactly the same as any normal balvenie, even though it was finished in rum for 2 years!

I have it on very good authority, (Ian Millar) that the whisky is in fact 16-17yrs old, even though it states 14 on the bottle. Also, it's only available iether in the distillery shop as Mhairi rightly stated, or at La Maison du Whisky in Paris...

Cheers for the tip Mhairi, tell your dad he packages his bottles really well! (PS, see you in Glasgow soon!!)

Susan

[mar_mcdo]

lol, was wondering if it was you when i read your post on misako's book. he he. yep, no doubt i will be through soon. thanks for the portellen, its great!! and i will pass the message on to dad.

[AVB]

This is also available in OZ although I don't know how they talked Wm Grant into it.

[Deactivated Member]

Just taken delivery of a bottle of Rum finish . Really impressed with the efficiency of service - particularly at this time of year. Two days it took and I'll be sipping a dram on Christmas day after all. Can't wait - maybe won't

Susan -you're right about the packaging. Total product care. Excellent, and I can see no green

Mhairi - compliments to your Dad. This is one customer who will be back.

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

if you take the bottle by the neck and tilt it slightly the bottom of the bottle shows a yellowish-greenish tint.
If you look closely through the neck of the bottle you will find that tint where the malt meets the glass, too. But it is not so easy to see as in other rum finishings.

Greetings and a Merry Christmas

kallaskander

[Deactivated Member]

Um ............. nope - still don't see the green Will keep looking as the bottle goes down