Global Brand Ambassador Unveils Latest Masterpiece
Limited release Balvenie Madeira Cask to be available only in Alberta and New Brunswick

Toronto, ON (October 5, 2009) – David Mair, the Global Brand Ambassador for The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky, has travelled from Scotland to Alberta to unveil The Balvenie’s latest hand-crafted creation The Balvenie Madeira Cask 17 Year Old.

Matured in traditional oak and finished in casks previously used to make fortified Madeira wine, The Balvenie Madeira Cask 17 Year Old, will be made available in Canada exclusively in New Brunswick and Alberta starting in November. 

“We are particularly proud of this year’s Limited Edition 17-year old,” said Brand Ambassador, David Mair.  “It has just been released and already it is drawing praise and excitement from whisky connoisseurs around the world.  The Balvenie distillery is unique in the world for its tradition of handcrafting which is a key factor in the distinctive taste of our product.” 

A real treat for the Scotch whisky enthusiast, The Balvenie Madeira Cask 17 Year Old is an exceptionally rich and rewarding mature single malt, whose deep luxurious aromas translate into an equally rewarding flavour of spice and dried fruit. 

Created by the whisky industry’s longest serving Malt Master, David Stewart, The Balvenie Madeira Cask follows the 2008 release of the award-winning The Balvenie Rum Cask and is the latest in a series of six 17 Year Old limited edition releases by The Balvenie Distillery.  Drawing upon his unmatched expertise when crafting The Balvenie range of single malts, Stewart has continued in the tradition of quality and craftsmanship.  Each year, by using different cask types and mature spirit he has expertly crafted a new expression of The Balvenie’s uniquely honeyed character for limited release.

The Balvenie Madeira Cask 17 Year Old is a limited release that will go on sale in Alberta in November 2009. 

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Notes to editors:

• The Balvenie Madeira Cask 17 Year Old tasting notes:  Nose – A rich, deep and complex nose.  Spicy, earthy oak notes with subtle hints of vanilla and honey.  Soft fruit aromas, a slow baked apple infused with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.  Taste – The deep, luxurious aromas translate into an equally rewarding flavour.  Initial sweet vanilla oak notes gradually develop into rich spices and dried fruits (apricots, figs, dates).  Finish -exceptionally long and an intriguing balance of sweetness and dry oakiness. 

• The Balvenie is a unique range of single malts created by David Stewart, The Balvenie Malt Master.  Each has a very individual taste, but each is rich luxuriously smooth and underpinned by the distinctively honeyed character of The Balvenie. 

• Produced in Speyside in the Scottish Highlands, the exceptional quality of The Balvenie Single Malt is due to the fact that The Balvenie Distillery retains and nurtures a high level of craftsmanship that other malt whisky producers no longer employ: nowhere else will you find a distillery that still grows its own barley, still malts in its own traditional floor maltings and still employs coopers to tend all the casks and a coppersmith to maintain the stills.

• The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky is produced by William Grant & Sons Ltd, an award-winning independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today run by his direct descendants. 

• For more information, please visit: www.thebalvenie.com
For more information, please contact:

Stephanie Charlton
Jesson + Company Communications Inc.
T: (416) 323-7828 ext. 26
M: (416) 727-9048
E: scharlton@jessonco.com