By Andrew Starke
Whisky-lovers will be taken back-to-school by Speyside distillery The Balvenie which has launched ‘The Whisky Academy’ and will soon roll-out two further whiskies to the Australian market.
The Whisky Academy is a series of short films covering every aspect of whisky from its history, production and terminology, through to nosing, tasting and even investing.
The ‘modules’ are hosted by The Balvenie Distillery Ambassador David Mair and answers some of the most commonly asked questions about single malts, details its history and outlines how it is produced and the crafts and chemistry involved.
It features contributions from Scotch whisky experts such as writer and historian Charles MacLean, The Balvenie Global Ambassador Sam Simmons and comprises 35 films across four ‘modules’ and spanning three-and-a-half hours of footage.
“The Whisky Academy is everything you wanted to know about malt whisky in one place,” said Simmons.
“It’s a fantastic series of films which is aimed at helping whisky-lovers at whatever stage in their malt journey to learn more about Scotch.”
The series can be viewed online in the Warehouse 24 member section on The Balvenie website.
Click here to watch an introductory video or to register.
In other Balvenie news, two of its super-premium whiskies will soon be made available locally to whisky enthusiasts.
The Balvenie PortWood 21 Year Old has received many accolades, including a gold medal in either the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) or International Spirit Challenge (ISC) every year since 1999.
It will be available over the course of this month (April) and has an RRP of $249.
Recently been awarded a Gold Medal at the 2010 International Spirits Challenge, The Balvenie Thirty will be available from late May and will have a RRP of $599.
“This whisky has spent over three decades maturing beautifully in The Balvenie warehouses,” said malt master David Stewart.
“This has given The Balvenie Thirty great depth, with rich dark chocolate, hints of plum and marzipan and caramelised pear, and an exceptionally smooth and warming finish with gentle spice and lingering sweetness.”