Ballantine’s 17 Year Old

Ballantines 17 Year Old Scotch Whisky was named Whisky of the Year in 2011 by Jim Murray, the world’s most respected whisky expert in his latest edition of his Whisky Bible. Ballantines 17 Year Old trancends the prejudice that sometimes ranks single malts higher than blends. This is quite a majestic whisky that shows a deep, golden colour. The nose offers sweet scents blended with cocoa and vanillan oak. Wonderfully mouth filling and quite spicy, the palate is pristinely clean with sweet, smooth, velvlet like textures. In the top echelon of blended whisky.

Ballantine’s is part of a long tradition of grocery stores-cum-whisky bottlers in Scotland, buying barrels from the distiller and bottling the whisky for their customers. These independent bottlers served an important function in the Scotch market by buying and storing barrels when demand was low. Some of the bigger grocers amassed large stores of aging whisky, creating a diverse palate from which to blend (and hiding a few gems in the bowels of their storehouses). Bottlers like Ballantine’s, specialized in blending; others, in releasing rare casks of single malts from various distilleries. Ballantine’s 17 Year is a blended Scotch comprised of malt and grain whiskies from various distilleries. Each is aged for at least 17 years, before the whiskies are blended together and bottled at 43% ABV.

First blended in the 1930’s, Ballantine’s 17 Year Old is a prestigious whisky that has remained unchanged for over 75 years. The recipe is closely guarded and carefully handed down from each master blender to his successor.

Ballantine’s 17 Year Old displays all the flavours of Scotland, with a careful combination of malt and grain whiskies from every region. It’s clear golden amber colour, refined sweet oak nose and luscious body makes 17 year old one of the world’s most highly acclaimed whiskies.