The Balvenie Fifty : Once in a Lifetime Opportunity to Buy Rare Scotch Malt

MONTREAL, May 4, 2016 /CNW/ - Looking for a rare piece of Scottish history that's a real investment opportunity? Are you a true connoisseur of the finest Scotch Malt Whisky? There's an incredibly rare bottle – one of only 131 ever produced (and the ONLY bottle for sale in Canada) - waiting for you at the IGL Duty Free Shop at the border crossing between Montreal and New York City: The Balvenie 50, Cask 4567.

This amazing whisky is one of the most complex, elegant and finest to be released by The Balvenie Distillery – located deep in the Scottish Highlands where the craft and nature's mysteries of production have not changed in over a century. Balvenie still has its own floor malting, the last in the Highlands and the barley is grown and harvested on site.

The creation of Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart – who has worked at the Distillery for over 40 years - The Balvenie 50 Cask 4567 originates from Warehouse 24, the home of the distillery's oldest and rarest whiskies. One of two 50 year-old whisky expressions created, Cask 4567 was bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered for extra quality, and is presented in a magnificent handmade wooden case. The case consists of 49 layers of wood and a closing layer in brass, echoing the fittings of the distillery's stills and spirit safes.

Should you ever want to open this remarkable bottle, you'll discover a deep reddish hue and a beautiful full taste characterized by dark fruits and spice. It's a once in a lifetime experience! (Full tasting notes are at the end).

Justin Guay, Vice President of IGL Duty Free which runs the St-Bernard de Lacolle border shop, says: "This is an incredible opportunity for one discerning consumer to invest in a truly incredible and exceedingly rare Scotch whisky. There are very few of these bottles available in North America and no others available in Canada – and of course, being duty free, the purchase price in our store offers significant savings over the US domestic market. People invest in wine, in property, in antiques – now here is a unique chance to invest in whisky."

The Balvenie 50, Cask 4567 (2014 release) is available to purchase at the IGL Duty Free Shop for CA$49,000 (US$38,000) compared to US$43,999 + sales tax on the US domestic market.

IGL Duty Free is a mecca for consumers looking for great duty-free prices and exclusive products that you won't find downtown. Recently refurbished and expanded to 16,000 sq ft, the outlet is a match for any department store with all the international brands you'd expect including La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Estee Lauder, Dior, L'Occitane and, of course, the best in wine and spirits such as Glenfiddich, Hennessy and Dom Perignon.

The Balvenie 50 is just one of many fabulous priced products on offer to consumers crossing the border from Quebec into New York. Adds Guay: "We've won Best Border Store in the Americas in 2016 and we want you to come down and see for yourself why we deserve this title. We offer the best deals and some incredible exclusive items – so even if you can't quite afford The Balvenie 50, there's plenty of other choices for everyone."

NOTES TO EDITORS
IGL Duty Free is located along the main crossing between Montreal and New York City at:
350 Autoroute 15,
St-Bernard de Lacolle, Québec
J0J 1V0
Tel: [phone]
Importations Guay Ltée (IGL) has been independently owned and operated since 1983
*IGL Duty free was Awarded "Best Border/Downtown Store" in the Americas at the 2016 DFNI Awards for Travel Retail Excellence

About The Balvenie
The Balvenie is a unique range of single malts created by David Stewart, The Balvenie Malt Master. Each has a very individual taste, but each is rich, luxuriously smooth and underpinned by a distinctively honeyed character. Little has changed at Balvenie Distillery over the years. It is the only whisky distillery in Scotland to still employ the five traditional crafts in making a single malt Scotch whisky. It still grows its own barley, has its own traditional floor maltings, a coppersmith to tend the stills, coopers to mend the casks and the industry's most experienced malt master. The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky is produced by William Grant & Sons Ltd, an award-winning independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today run by his direct descendants. 

Born in Ayr on the west coast of Scotland in 1945, David Stewart joined the distillery in 1962 and was appointed the distiller's Malt Master in 1974. His renowned ability to identify the finest casks of whisky for maturation has helped William Grant & Sons earn the Distiller of the Year accolade an unprecedented eight times.

About William Grant & Sons Ltd.
William Grant & Sons is an independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1887 and today still controlled by the fifth generation of his family. Named 'IWSC Distiller of the Year' in 2013 for the sixth consecutive year, William Grant & Sons distils some of the world's leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world's favourite single malt Glenfiddich®, the handcrafted range of The Balvenie® single malts and one of the world's best loved blended Scotches, Grant's®, as well as selected other spirits, including Hendrick's® Gin, and Sailor Jerry® Spiced Rum, Tullamore Dew® and Monkey Shoulder® Whiskey.

Cask No.	4567
Nose	Rich and deep, initial oakiness is followed by sweeter aromas of raisins and sultanas and a subtle ginger spiciness.
Taste	Lush with rich dark fruits, including cherries and blackberries and a spicy outburst of ground ginger, cinnamon and allspice.  Oak tannin and a delicious sweetness develop.
Finish	Rich and spicy with dried fruits and a lingering sweetness.
ABV	45.4%
No. Bottles	131

SOURCE William Grant & Sons Ltd.

Image with caption: "One of only 131 ever produced (and the ONLY bottle for sale in Canada) - The Balvenie 50, Cask 4567 is waiting for you at the IGL Duty Free Shop at the border crossing between Montreal and New York City. (CNW Group/William Grant & Sons Ltd.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160504_C3201_PHOTO_EN_682168.jpg

Amanda Gun-Munro, AGM*PR, [email protected], [phone]