Balvenie Maltmaster "Unique Character of Each Distillery, Driving Force Behind Whiskey Market Growth"

David Stewart Balvenie Malt Master Visits Korea
‘Balvenie 60 Years’ Released Featuring 60-Year Heritage
‘Balvenie Heritage Exhibition’ Held Until 20th
Domestic and International Whiskey Market Growth Expected to Continue

"Fueled by the global whiskey craze, including in Korea, many new distilleries continue to emerge in Scotland. The popularity of Scotch single malt whiskey and the market's growth trend will continue moving forward."

David Stewart (center), Balvenie Malt Master, is answering reporters' questions at the 'Heritage Exhibition' held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

David C. Stewart MBE, Malt Master of The Balvenie, met with reporters on the 6th at And Tree Meta in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, ahead of the 'Balvenie Heritage Exhibition' event commemorating the launch of the single malt whiskey 'Balvenie 60 Years.' He predicted that the growth trend of the single malt whiskey market worldwide, including Korea, will continue.

Malt Master Stewart said, "In the past, blended whiskey was the market's center, but over the past 20 years, the single malt whiskey industry has grown sharply," adding, "The number of whiskey distilleries in Scotland, which was about 120 ten years ago, has recently increased to around 150, and I believe the market will continue to expand." He also emphasized that "not only Balvenie but all distilleries have their own unique character, so everyone will definitely be able to find a whiskey that suits their taste," which is a positive outlook for the whiskey industry's future.

The Balvenie Pure Malt 8 Years, the first single malt whisky released by Balvenie in the 1970s. It is characterized by its design in a green triangular bottle, similar to Glenfiddich.

He did not hide his pride in Balvenie. Malt Master Stewart said, "Balvenie is proud to be one of the top five distilleries among numerous Scottish whiskey distilleries," and added, "I believe the unique working methods preserved for over 130 years make Balvenie special." He cited personally cultivating barley, conducting floor malting, and operating the cooperage as elements that make Balvenie unique.

The Balvenie distillery is the only one in the Highlands region that cultivates barley directly to maintain the highest quality and uses it as raw material. They also perform malting (germinating barley to make malt) themselves rather than outsourcing. The barley, moistened with water, is spread out on a wide malting floor, and a malt master turns it over with a wooden shovel every four hours. The Balvenie distillery has maintained this same method from its inception to the present. Additionally, they operate a cooperage that produces oak barrels, allowing the malt master to create and use barrels tailored to his preferences.

He said, "The 60 years I have spent at Balvenie have been an amazing and wonderful experience, and I am proud and happy to have made over 100 types of whiskey at Balvenie," adding, "I am well aware of the whiskey craze blowing in Korea, and I am pleased to share my long experience and knowledge from Balvenie with Korean consumers through this visit."

Balvenie 'Balvenie 60 Years'

Malt Master Stewart began working at the Balvenie distillery in 1962 at the age of 17 as a whiskey inventory clerk and has been involved in the Scotch whiskey industry for 60 years. He was recognized for pioneering technology in whiskey production and was awarded the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2016. The 'Cask Finish' technique he developed while growing with the Balvenie distillery became a new method for creating whiskey flavors and has had a significant impact on the industry, being adopted worldwide in whiskey production processes.

He visited Korea to attend the exhibition commemorating his 60 years of experience at Balvenie and the release of the whiskey 'Balvenie 60 Years.' Balvenie 60 Years is made from whiskey matured since 1962, the year he started working, and only 71 bottles were released worldwide. Only two bottles were allocated to Korea, and despite the extremely high price of 330 million KRW per bottle, all were sold. The product features aromas of lavender, heather, and bracken, rich toffee, beautifully layered oak scents, and overflowing flavors of candied orange.

David Stewart, Malt Master, selected 'Balvenie PortWood 21' as the 'Best Creation'

The Balvenie Heritage Exhibition is composed of three floors. On the first floor, visitors can explore the 60-year history of Balvenie from past to present. The second floor is designed to fully experience Balvenie 60 Years, including a dedicated product exhibition zone, the Balvenie Tunnel Zone inspired by the 60-year external packaging design, a photo zone featuring quotes from David Stewart, and an event zone. The third floor is a rooftop where visitors can enjoy two types of 'Heritage Cocktails' based on Balvenie 12 Years and the 12 Years Neat. The exhibition runs from the 7th to the 20th, open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free through advance reservation or on-site registration.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.