Single malt scotch maker Balvenie is bringing back its Single Barrel 12 year old, matured fully in bourbon barrels. This reprises a 2013 release of Single Barrel, which ended in 2022 due to stock constraints. Now it has returned, with each barrel yielding only 300 bottles, all individually numbered. Bottled at 47.8% ABV, Balvenie Single Barrel 12 year old is retail priced at $80.
Balvenie has had other single barrels in its repertoire, most recently a 15 year old single barrel sherry cask expression, of which only 650 bottles were available. While single barrel whiskeys are plentiful among U.S. whiskeys, they’re a relative rarity in Scotland. There are two reasons for this: one is that most major scotch whisky makers can’t spare the time to make the barrel selections, as they’re too busy meeting release schedules. The other reason is that most single malt scotches are made of multiple barrels blended together, and master blenders prefer to use all available options to get the balance they want. The vast majority of single cask scotch offerings are thus from U.K. independent bottlers, and from occasional retail exclusives in the U.S. from stores like Massachusetts-based Julio’s Liquors.
Among the scotch distillers, Glendronach is arguably king of the single cask genre with a long line of cask-strength vintage single barrel expressions. For its Private Selections program, each year master distiller Rachel Barrie picks some of the best casks in the warehouse for bottling. Only a few casks each year are selected. Highland Park also makes single cask expressions available through limited offerings in its Single Cask Series. Glenallachie, founded by scotch whisky entrepreneur Billy Walker, who also ratcheted up the single cask program at Glendronach when he ran that operation before it was sold to Brown-Forman, now has a robust single cask array.
Ardnamurchan, based in the far western Scottish Highlands has a surprisingly robust single cask program even though it’s been producing only since 2014. The company says it packages “dozens” of single cask bottlings each year. Those whiskies are reserved mainly for supply chain partners who’ve been selling a lot of Ardnamurchan, as well as particularly devoted whisky clubs, but you could always inquire.
