Back

Balblair Introduces Travel Retail 1986 to Growing Global Market

Balblair Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky has announced news of its latest vintage release Balblair 1986 exclusively for Travel Retail.

Balblair was relaunched in March with a departure for the brand from traditional whisky 'tartan and shortbread' images to a refreshingly contemporary design with every detail echoing the quality of the whisky inside and has already become a top favourite with whisky connoisseurs with vintages 1989 and 1979 taking the highest recognition possible, Gold: Best in Class at the prestigious 2007 International Wine and Spirit Competition.

Balblair was relaunched in March with a departure for the brand from traditional whisky ‘tartan and shortbread’ images to a refreshingly contemporary design with every detail echoing the quality of the whisky inside.

Balblair Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky has announced an ambitious new collaboration that will bring the whisky brand together with some of Scotland’s most prolific and esteemed cultural talent, challenging traditional perceptions of the country, and of whisky, at a global level.

Inspired by the 4,000 year old Pictish symbol standing stone, Clach Biorach, which overlooks the distillery, Balblair's new design has been carefully crafted and positions the whisky as the premium choice for connoisseurs across the country and into Europe, the US and Asia.

As well as giving Balblair a fresh new look inspired by its Pictish links, its makers have moved away from the traditional age description of whisky (i.e. '10 years old') in favour of vintage expressions; hand-picked, specially selected 'years' that represent the very best whisky the distillery has to offer.

"We've worked hard and paid tremendous attention to detail to create a whisky that's exceptional – from its taste, to its presentation," said Karen Walker, Marketing Manager of Inver House Distillers. "It's a different choice for those who love quality. A huge amount of attention has been paid to Balblair's every detail and, as well as looking splendid, its vintage approach highlights the selection process of whisky, illustrating the alchemy behind a great malt."

Balblair's non-traditional, vintage expressions will better communicate and marry the age of the spirit together with its distinguishing character. 1062 casks were personally sampled by Inver House’s Master Distiller, Stuart Harvey in a bid to find these whiskies of excellence; spirit that has reached the exact point of 'optimum maturation', its absolute peak. Three vintage expressions were finally chosen from 1997, 1989 and 1979.

Intriguingly complex and satisfying whiskies, each Balblair vintage is strongly individual, full bodied and feature notes that include apricot, orange, green apple, cloves, vanilla and honey. Other Balblair years will continue to mature under the watchful eye of the Distillery Manager, John Macdonald until they reach their point of perfection.

Its makers have also lavished obvious care on Balblair's design, crafting its presentation to ensure that every detail echoes the quality of the whisky inside. The result is a magnificent product imbued with a delicate opulence. Balblair’s dark, lustrous keepsake box, both rich in texture and deep in shade, pulls gently open to reveal honey coloured whisky, encased in a new, pebble-shaped bottle and couched in a smooth cream interior.

Design cues are heavily influenced by Balblair’s heritage. Its Distillery, located in Edderton overlooking the Dornoch Firth, is built on a former Pictish settlement, which still features a 4,000 year old Pict symbol stone, Clach Biorach – originally used by the Picts as a calendar and gathering place. This inspired Balblair's unique new pebble-shape, embossed with the brand name in ancient Pictish script and an etched signature 'B' logo. All three expressions also feature a large black cork lid, with the signature B imprinted on it.

Each Balblair bottle is presented in a category-leading box featuring one of three atmospheric images of the view up the Dornoch Firth towards the distillery, taken by local photographer Finn McRae at different times of the day to reflect the natural changing light from dawn until dusk. Each image correlates to one of the vintages, beautifully portraying the distillery's surrounding area, which was originally founded by John Ross of the Clan Ross in 1790 and is now one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland.

Karen Walker, Marketing Manager of Inver House Distillers is delighted with the results. 'We have spent a great deal of time researching Balblair's heritage and reflecting its true identity in the whisky, drawing from the distillery's unique heritage but at the same time appealing to modern drinkers who covet excellence and originality. These vintages represent the very best Balblair and we’re sure that they will appeal to whisky lovers around the world.'

Balblair will be available in specialist whisky stores throughout the UK since March, with distribution in France, Demark, UK, Japan and Sweden as well as other export markets.

The re-launch campaign will be supported by an integrated through-the-line marketing programme that includes advertising, online activity and exciting initiatives with like-minded brands, more detail of which will be announced in spring 2007.