Overview
- The Balvenie publicly unveiled an 88‑year‑old single malt on Monday that was distilled in 1931 and bottled in 2019, a timing that fixes the 88‑year age statement because Scotch counts only time spent in cask.
- Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie decided to bottle the spirit in 2019 after monitoring showed the original European oak sherry butt was failing, and late in the cask’s life the liquid was recasked to stop collapse and excess evaporation.
- The 2019 bottling yielded just 17 bottles, which the distillery kept in secure storage while it developed the 1931 Collection and a presentation concept with artist Daniel Arsham.
- The 1931 Collection will debut at Frieze Seoul with Arsham’s sculptural case that incorporates hand‑patinated bronze, layered oak and a copper disc from a decommissioned Balvenie still, and the 88‑year‑old will be privately allocated with no public price announced.
- The release highlights how rare ultra‑aged single‑cask Scotch is because decades in wood typically cause heavy evaporation and stave fatigue, and Balvenie is offering two younger 12‑ and 15‑year expressions as more accessible interpretations of the distillery’s 1931 production methods.