Rare Balvenie 50-Year Old Scotch Comes to Canada

With 88 bottles worldwide, valued at $35,000, Canada's only bottle for sale in Vancouver

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 1, 2012/jm/)

One of the rarest Whiskies to come out of The Balvenie Distillery, The Balvenie Fifty was created to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of The Balvenie Malt Master, David Stewart. One of just a handful of malt masters in Scotland, Stewart has an incredible natural talent and is recognised as being behind some of Scotch whisky's greatest innovations earning him a lifetime achievement award from the International Wine and Spirits Competition. Known throughout the Scotch industry as the 'modest man of whisky', Stewart has dedicated his entire working life to the art of single malt making. He began working at The Balvenie Distillery as a 17 year old apprentice in 1962, a year before single malt whisky was officially exported outside Scotland, and served a lengthy 12 year apprenticeship before taking on the title of Malt Master. This incredible devotion is being recognized with the release of a rare The Balvenie single malt distilled in 1962. Just 88 bottles of The Balvenie Fifty will be available worldwide.

The Balvenie Fifty was matured in a European oak sherry hogshead, rarely used today in whisky making, filled with newly distilled spirit. Over the following 50 years, the spirit slowly matured into an outstanding single malt Scotch whisky. The particularly long maturation has created a wonderful fragrant and floral whisky, which is velvety sweet with a beautifully balanced combination of sweet citrus notes and gentle hints of honey, spice and oak. With an ABV of 44.1%, the nose is fragrant and floral with fruit and oak lusciously intermingled. The finish is velvety smooth with a delicious citrus sweetness.

The Balvenie Fifty is presented in a hand blown glass bottle surrounded by a wooden case, created by Scottish craftsman, Sam Chinnery, from Scottish grown timbers including Banffshire Elm grown on The Balvenie site.

For more information on The Balvenie: www.thebalvenie.com.