William Grant brand The Balvenie, in partnership with DFS Group, today unveiled its new travel exclusive 21 Year Old Madeira Cask expression to press, customers and connoisseurs at an event hosted by The Balvenie Global Brand Ambassador Sam Simmons at Singapore Changi Airport.
Priced at SGD 295 (US$212), The Balvenie 21 Year Old Madeira Cask rare single malt is aged exclusively in traditional oak whisky casks for more than two decades, then transferred to casks previously used in the production of fortified Madeira wine for a further period of maturation. The expression will be available exclusively at DFS Singapore Changi Airport prior to its global debut on 1 April.
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Left to right: DFS Group Merchandise Manager Frederik Vanden Bulcke, DFS Group Regional Merchandising Manager Patricia Sim, William Grant & Sons Director Travel Retail Asia Pacific Scott Hamilton, Changi Airport Group Executive Vice President, Commercial Lim Peck Hoon, Changi Airport Group Senior Vice President, Airside Concessions Teo Chew Hoon, Changi Airport Group Vice President, Airside Planning & Leasing Chandra Mahtani, DFS Group Managing Director Singapore and Indonesia Wilcy Wong, Changi Airport Group Assistant Vice President, Advertising & Promotions Edwin Lim and William Grant & Sons Global Brand Ambassador Sam Simmons |
DFS Group Senior Vice President Spirits, Wines and Tobacco Brooke Supernaw said: “As Asia Pacific’s largest travel retail assortment of single malts, we are experiencing an increase in customers to DFS, Singapore Changi Airport wanting more information around the craft and heritage approach to whisky-making. We’re especially thrilled to partner with William Grant & Sons to not only debut The Balvenie’s exceptional 21 Year Old Madeira Cask right here in Singapore, but to provide travellers with an exciting and educational experience that brings this love of craftsmanship to life and feed travellers’ thirst for discovery in their search for the best.”
To celebrate the global launch, the brand is running a showcase from 2 March to 11 April at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1 Central Piazza. Travellers will have the opportunity to experience local craftsmen, commissioned by The Balvenie Connoisseurs of Craft initiative, sharing their expertise in leather craft, printmaking and shoemaking. Aiming to promote craftsmanship in Southeast Asia, The Balvenie Connoisseurs of Craft initiative has a mission to preserve the art of handcrafting, restoring the value of craftsmanship and encouraging its appreciation.
Travellers will also be able to sample The Balvenie 21 Year Old Madeira Cask and view The Balvenie Morgan, a handcrafted V6 Roadster built in collaboration with the Morgan Motor Company. Made in Worcestershire, England, the Roadster was specially flown in for the launch and is described as “the perfect example of expressing the shared values of true craftsmanship deeply held by the two brands”.
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Malt Master David Stewart samples the casks regularly to ensure their final notes are characterised with notes of vanilla, oak and honey, finishing with a layer of rich spice |
The showcase also features a cigar humidor, handcrafted from the staves of casks previously used to mature the precious whisky.
In keeping with The Balvenie’s hand-crafted nature, visitors to the showcase can create their very own bottle tags by personally embossing their chosen design.
Changi Airport Group Senior Vice President for Airside Concessions Teo Chew Hoon said: “As a global travel hub in the heart of Asia, we always look for new and exciting ways to engage those who come through Changi Airport. Bringing in the very exclusive 21 Year Old Madeira Cask, and showcasing it along with the master craftsmanship, is another example of us creating a memorable experience for our customers.”
