Scotch amber nectar attracts attention of bee experts at The Balvenie 2009 vintage cask single malt selection
The Balvenie single malt whisky, is releasing The Balvenie Vintage Cask for 2009. The annual vintage cask selection is an eagerly awaited event at The Balvenie Distillery and this year a small swarm of beekeepers visited the distillery in Speyside, Scotland, to help Malt Master, David Stewart, select two very special casks, aged at least 30 years old. A key characteristic of The Balvenie is its distinctive honeyed flavour and the beekeepers were invited to put their finely tuned noses and palates to the test to identify the casks that best exemplified a mature example of The Balvenie single malt’s signature honeyed complexity. Tim Lovett, President of the British Beekeepers’ Association, Honey Judge, Fiona Dickson and Ayr-based beekeeper Phil McAnespie joined The Balvenie’s long serving Malt Master, David Stewart for the important selection process. Between them they singled out two casks from 1978 - cask numbers 6248 and 2705 – to become the new Vintage. The casks were selected as more than thirty years of maturation had resulted in them attaining an exceptional depth of flavour and smoothness. David said: “The panel quickly identified the subtle layers of complexity we look for in vintage Balvenie.
The Balvenie Vintage Cask 1978 offers those distinctive honey notes, together with subtle oakiness, citrus fruits and a spicy vanilla sweetness”. Honey judge Fiona Dickson often tastes up to 300 honeys in a single competition and was surprised at the similarities between judging a honey and single malt whisky, noting: “When selecting honey I look for the correct balance between sweetness and flavour and we drew upon the same skills in selecting The Balvenie Vintage Cask.” The British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA) works to promote and further the craft of beekeeping and to advance the education of the public in the importance of bees for the environment. The plight of the honey bee is now of worldwide concern and without beekeepers to look after them there would be no honey bees in the UK.
The Balvenie Distillery also houses its own rare species - Scotland’s last remaining whisky coppersmith, himself a vintage, who first picked up his tools 50 years ago. The Speyside distillery believes that the single malt’s unique taste comes from retention of traditional whisky making methods. Hand bottled, The Balvenie Vintage Cask 1978 is expected to go on sale from May 2009.
