{"product_id":"balvenie-1979-1991-12-year-old-smws-40-4-lot-id-0626-479","title":"Balvenie 1979-1991 - 12 Year Old - SMWS 40.4 Lot Id: 0626-479","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cp\u003eBalvenie 1979 - 1991. 12 Year Old. Bottled by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Society cask number 40.4. 75cl. 59.8%. 104.6 Proof. No box.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA very early Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling of Balvenie, distilled in May 1979 and bottled in November 1991 as a 12-year-old. Released as Society Cask number 40.4, this was only the fourth Balvenie cask bottled by the Society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndependent bottlings of Balvenie are particularly uncommon. The distillery has remained under the ownership of the Grant family since its foundation in 1892 and its whisky has traditionally been closely guarded for the distilleries own bottlings, making independently bottled examples such as this notably rare.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBottled during the SMWS’s formative years, this comes from a plain oak cask and was released at a formidable 59.8% (104.6 proof).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Society’s original tasting notes describe:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Famous as a proprietary bottled malt, having been one of the very few to have been bottled as full strength before the advent of the Society. Pale colour from a plain oak cask. Nose of young grass, peardrops and meadowsweet. The whisky is spirituous and requires to be subdued by water to render it drinkable - whereupon it most curiously exhibits a strong taste of honey, yet is perfectly dry.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fascinating early SMWS release and a particularly rare opportunity to find Balvenie under an independent bottler’s label.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e","brand":"Whisky-Online Auctions","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58691669754237,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Balvenie 1979-1991 - 12 Year Old - SMWS 40.4-Lot Id:0626-479","offer_id":58691669885309,"sku":"0626-479","price":625.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0529\/0036\/4446\/files\/0626-479-1_f1dad3f0-e724-49f3-8c6e-51a61507755e.jpg?v=1789590129","url":"https:\/\/whisky-onlineauctions.com\/products\/balvenie-1979-1991-12-year-old-smws-40-4-lot-id-0626-479","provider":"Whisky-Online Auctions","version":"1.0","type":"link"}