🥃 Ballantine's
Ballantine's is a blended Scotch whisky that grew out of George Ballantine's shop in Edinburgh (1827). Made by Chivas Brothers, part of Pernod Ricard; the standard Finest is 40% ABV (80 proof).
Ballantine's is a blended Scotch whisky that grew out of George Ballantine's shop, opened in Edinburgh in 1827. The blend contains about 50 malt and 4 grain whiskies, with Miltonduff and Glenburgie as its base. It is made by Chivas Brothers, which belongs to Pernod Ricard, and the standard Finest is 40% ABV (80 proof).
Note that 1827 is the year the shop opened, not the year of the recipe: depending on the source, the blend is dated to 1865 or 1910. In 1865 the business moved to Glasgow. In 1935-1937 (sources vary) Hiram Walker bought the brand, acquired Miltonduff and Glenburgie and built a grain distillery in Dumbarton; that plant has been mothballed since 2002, and the grain whisky now comes from Strathclyde. A crest appeared on the bottle in 1938, the brand passed to Allied Domecq in 1987 and to Pernod Ricard in 2005.
Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, blended Scotch is a mix of one or more single malt whiskies and one or more single grain whiskies. Every component is distilled in Scotland and matured there for at least three years in oak casks, and an age statement always refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle. The standard Finest is bottled at 40% ABV.
Master blender Sandy Hyslop has worked on the brand since 2006. According to 2021 data, it is the second best-selling Scotch brand. The range runs from Finest and 7 American Barrel to the 10, 12, 17, 21, 30 and 40 year olds.
Why it matters to you. The number on the bottle is the age of the youngest whisky in the blend, not the average age. "Blended Scotch" means a mix of malt and grain whiskies, not poorer quality. Do not confuse the year the shop was founded with the year of the recipe. And remember: according to the WHO, there is no safe amount of alcohol.
Facts
| Year founded | 1827: a shop in Edinburgh; the blend is dated to 1865 or 1910 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (Blended Scotch Whisky) |
| Raw material | about 50 single malt and 4 single grain whiskies |
| Cask type | oak casks |
| Minimum maturation | at least 3 years in Scotland; the numbers 10-40 are the age of the youngest whisky |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | from 40% ABV (Finest: 40%) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Ballantine's → kind of → 🥃 Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Previous step
- 🥃 Pernod Ricard
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 British
- Part of
- 🥃 Whisky, 🥃 Blended Scotch Whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Johnnie Walker, 🥃 Chivas Regal, 🥃 Chivas Regal, 🥃 Johnnie Walker, 🥃 The Famous Grouse, 🥃 The Famous Grouse, 🥃 Chivas Regal 12 Year Old, 🥃 Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Gold Signature, 🥃 Chivas Regal 25 Year Old, 🥃 Cutty Sark, 🥃 Cutty Sark
- In other topics
- 🍷 Blend
Frequently asked questions
What does 80 proof mean on a Ballantine's Finest label in the US?
Proof is twice the ABV, so Finest at 40% ABV is 80 proof.
Who is the master blender?
Sandy Hyslop, who has worked on the brand since 2006.
Which Ballantine's can I find beyond Finest?
7 American Barrel and the 10, 12, 17, 21, 30 and 40 year olds.
What does the 12 or 17 on the bottle mean?
The age of the youngest whisky in the blend, as the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 require.
Who owns Ballantine's?
Pernod Ricard, since 2005, with Chivas Brothers producing it.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden vessel made of oak staves in which wine matures, picks up new aromas and slowly takes in air.
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky — Malted barley is the base of whisky: malt enzymes convert starch in the mash, and EU whisky is distilled below 94.8% vol. 'Single malt' means malted barley and one distillery.
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Scotch from a single distillery: only malted barley, water and yeast, distilled in pot stills; at least 3 years in oak, 40% ABV (80 proof in the US) or more. Not the same as single cask.
- 🥃 Scotch Whisky — Scotch whisky is whisky distilled and matured in Scotland from water and malted barley (plus whole grains of other cereals), at least 3 years in oak, bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof) or more. EU-protected since 1989.
Similar
🥃 100 Pipers · 🥃 Vat 69 · 🥃 Black & White · 🥃 Royal Salute · 🥃 Cutty Sark · 🥃 Strathisla
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
What it includes
Sources
- Scotch Whisky Magazine, Whiskypedia: Ballantine's (about 50 malts, mainly Miltonduff and Glenburgie, plus grain whiskies; Chivas Brothers / Pernod Ricard)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), regs. 3, 8, 12 (Single Malt, Blended Scotch Whisky, age statements)
- Ballantine's — official site
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)