A twenty-six year old Single Malt “experiment” in chocolate malt.

The Balvenie Distillery is just up the road from Glenfiddich on the north side of Dufftown — smack dab in the middle of Speyside. And a young William Grant worked at the nearby Mortlach Distillery for more than twenty years. And when he was ready to start out on his own, he bought an empty field and laid the foundation stone for The Balvenie in 1886.

Still owned by William Grand & Sons, The Balvenie has long been a favorite of Speyside Whisky lovers. It’s famous for producing Single Malts in the classic styles of the region — light, fruit-forward, sweet, and clean without a trace of peat smoke.

The Balvenie A Day of Dark Barley 26 YO is an interesting story… literally. It’s a part of The Balvenie “Great Stories Series.” In July of 1992, a batch of over-roasted barley was delivered to The Balvenie. Dark-roasted Barley like this is commonly used to create Stout Beers. Sometimes it’s referred to as “chocolate malt.” That day the distillery embarked on a twenty-six year long experiment aging in ex-Bourbon casks — transforming the chocolate malt into a Single Malt Whiskey unlike anything else that ever came from The Balvenie before.