Introduction
Established in 1827 by George Ballantine, Ballantine's has been preserving the tradition and taste of Scotch whisky for nearly 200 years.
We will introduce you to the lineup of Ballantine's, which is full of charm, including the best-selling Finest and the acclaimed 17 Year Old, known as "The Scotch."
History
The History of Ballantine's
In 1822, at the age of 13, George Ballantine began his apprenticeship under Andrew Hunter, a grocer, wine, and whisky merchant, in Edinburgh.
After a year of apprenticeship, the licensing system for whisky distillation was introduced, marking the end of the illicit distilling era. In 1824, newly licensed distilleries began to emerge one after another.
In 1827, George Ballantine completed his apprenticeship and opened a small grocery store on Cowgate in Edinburgh. Later, at the age of 23, George moved his grocery store to Candlemaker Row, which gained a reputation.
Five years later, George established his store in South Bridge, providing luxury whisky and groceries to aristocrats and the upper class. Ballantine's conducted a business with excellent service and quality.
In 1853, George Ballantine entrusted his business to his eldest son, Archibald, and moved to Glasgow to focus on whisky blending. At that time, the grape harvest was poor, and the upper class sought blended Scotch.
George started wholesale whisky business in Glasgow, aiming to create his unique blended Scotch. This became the foundation of Ballantine's 17 Year Old.
In 1895, Archibald took over the business from George Ballantine and opened a shop on Princes Street in Edinburgh. This shop was loved by the upper class, and Ballantine's reputation spread domestically and internationally.
In the same year, in Glasgow, George Ballantine II took over the business from his father and was granted the Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria. The recognition by the Queen greatly contributed to the development of Ballantine's.
In 1910, Ballantine's released Ballantine's Finest, which became the company's main export product. At that time, Ballantine's was listed in the telephone directory as five separate businesses: Scotch whisky merchant, wine importer, wine merchant, exporter of Old Scotch whisky, and importer of Havana cigars.
In 1919, the Ballantine family sold the company to other industry peers to prepare for business expansion and overseas expansion.
Ballantine's 17 Year Old was created in 1937 by Master Blender George Robertson. It is still made today with a secret recipe that has hardly changed in over 80 years. Ballantine's 17 Year Old gained popularity through word of mouth for its smoothness and elegance.
In 1938, Ballantine's built a distillery in Dumbarton for the production of grain whisky. The site included a small malt whisky distillery, extensive warehouses, and factories for blending and bottling. The total cost was 3 million pounds, equivalent to over 700 billion yen in today's Japanese currency value.
In addition, in 1952, a Japanese businessman brought Ballantine's 17 Year Old as a souvenir, which increased its reputation. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth's coronation took place, causing a British boom in Japan.
Ballantine's 17 Year Old made its debut in Japan as the most unique and expensive whisky.
Currently, Ballantine's whisky boasts the world's third-largest sales volume. Ballantine's 17 Year Old is popular among connoisseurs of premium whisky for its exquisite quality and diverse styles.
Whisky consumption varies around the world, with some preferring to drink it neat and others adding a small amount of water. In Japan, it is popular to drink it on the rocks, and Ballantine's 17 Year Old has gained popularity.
One member of Ballantine's says, "Ballantine's 17 Year Old is an excellent whisky that maintains its quality and adapts to any situation."