Whiskey "Balantays" - one of the best representatives of blended whiskey

Whiskey "Ballantine" (Ballantine's whiskey) - a brand of blended whiskey hails from Scotland. His production is handled by George Ballantine & Son Ltd. The company settled in the Scottish city of Dumbarton. "Balantays" - whiskey (reviews of fans and experts confirm this), who consider one of the best representatives of strong blended drinks.

History of the brand

The history of "Balantay" began in Scotland, when grocer George Ballantyne in 1869 decided that he could leave his old business to his eldest son and move from Edinburgh to Glasgow. There he opens a specialized store selling wine and alcohol products. Being a connoisseur of strong drinks, George decides to launch his own whiskey. To do this, he develops a unique blending formula, the result of which has pleased the metropolitan residents. The whiskey of Mr. Ballantyne was at variance, and after a few years he kept several of his own whiskeys and distilleries throughout Scotland.

Meanwhile, George grew up and the second son, who enthusiastically took part in his father's business. George Ballantine and Son Ltd. was founded. Approximately at the same time, exports of whiskey "Balantays" abroad began. Things were going smoothly, and in 1881 the founder of the company retired to rest, having entrusted the management of the enterprise to George Ballantyne Jr..

The offspring of expectation justified and multiplied his father's achievements. He managed to get "Balantays" whiskey to get a license of Her Majesty's suppliers and a royal certificate of quality. In 1919 the family was able to profitably sell the plants, technologies and the company name Barclay and McKinlay. Later, all rights were resold to the French giant Pernod Ricard, which produces the products of such brands of alcohol as Chivas Regal, Jameson, Havana Club, Beefeater, Absolut, Malibu, Martel, Olmeca.

Ballantine 's range

To date, the line of whiskey "Balantays" is represented by six types:

• Finest is the flagship of the product, has a relatively mild taste with notes of sweetness and a multi-faceted aftertaste.
• Whiskey "Balantays" 12 years of aging - the honey sweetness of the blend is diluted with the aroma of spices.
• "Balantays" 12 years of aging: blended melt - aged in a barrel of pure malt whiskey, with a mild fresh taste with a delicate nutty aftertaste.
• "Balantays" 17 years old - sweet taste with woody oak shades.
• Whiskey "Balantays" 21 year endurance - a combination of aromas of spices and heather fumigation in a bouquet.
• "Balantays" 30 years of aging - the tenderness of fruits and vanilla is flavored with severe oak intonations, these are whiskeys of the color of aged gold.

The appearance of the bottle and brand label is almost completely preserved from the XIX century. The standard volume of the container "Balantays" is 0.7 liters. The exception is Finest, produced in bottles of 0.75 liters, 1 liter and 1.75 liters. The recipe for the legendary drink is kept secret, but it is for certain known that in addition to grain alcohol, the composition of the blend includes various single-malt varieties. The basis is laid Glenburgie-Glenlivet. Ingredients of blend have about 57 different alcohols. In just over 180 years of history, Ballantine's has been replaced by only five major masters of blending. The current one is Sandy Hislop, who was appointed in 2006.