Description
Balvenie 16 year old French Oak
The Balvenie French Oak is a distinguished single malt Scotch whisky, finished in casks that previously held wine from the renowned Charentes region in France. These casks once contained Pineau des Charentes, a unique fortified wine crafted by blending unfermented grape must with Cognac eau-de-vie, then matured to develop its characteristic flavor. While Pineau des Charentes originates in the Charentes vineyards, similar home-produced versions can also be found in the neighboring Deux-Sèvres and Vendée departments.
Balvenie Distillery
Balvenie distillery is located in Dufftown. It was built in 1892 on the site of a mansion. The original name of the distillery was Glen Gordon but it was quickly changed. Not an awful lot happened at the distillery other than continuous and almost uninterrupted production until 1957. On that year the production capacity of the distillery was doubled.
The first Balvenie single malt was released in 1973. Up until then the vast majority of its production was used in blends. After Kininvie distillery was built in 1990 some more Balvenie whisky could be sold as a single malt.
The whisky produced at Balvenie derives its character from the usage of sturdy and short pot stills. A short fermentation period is also preferred.