The Balvenie, the single malt Scotch whisky brand built on traditional artisanal craftsmanship and distributed in Japan by Brown-Forman Japan K.K. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Tatsuya Koizumi), has unveiled The Balvenie 1931 Collection 88 Year Old — the longest-aged whisky in its history. This product is not planned for sale in Japan.
Distilled in 1931 and bottled in 2019 by Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie, The Balvenie 1931 Collection 88 Year Old is the centerpiece of The 1931 Collection. The collection also includes two other exceptional limited editions: The Balvenie 1931 Collection 12 Year Old and The Balvenie 1931 Collection 15 Year Old. The 12 Year Old uses only barley malt carefully finished through 100% in-house floor malting, while the 15 Year Old is crafted using only rare barley malt made from 100% estate-grown barley, all floor-malted in-house.
The Balvenie also collaborated with artist Daniel Arsham, who created a sculptural piece for the 88 Year Old inspired by his signature "time-worn relic" style.
The Balvenie Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie commented:
"This is a truly pivotal moment in The Balvenie's history. I'm proud to unveil the longest-aged whisky ever released. The Balvenie 1931 Collection 88 Year Old forms The 1931 Collection together with two outstanding limited editions: the 100% estate-grown, 100% floor-malted 15 Year Old, and the 100% floor-malted 12 Year Old. One morning in 2019, I encountered a whisky that had reached perfect maturity. Exceptional in both character and significance, I quietly instructed that it be bottled and carefully stored. Distilled by hand by our craftsmen in 1931 and filled into a Jerez sherry cask, this whisky has rested quietly in our warehouses for an astonishing 88 years. It is a great honor to be the Malt Master who can bring this precious whisky to the world."
1931 was a defining year for The Balvenie. As the whisky industry was thrown into turmoil by the Great Depression and Prohibition in the United States, The Balvenie looked to the future with quiet resolve. That year, a malting floor built at its own distillery came into operation, laying the foundation for the brand's continued success to this day. The daily rhythm of hand malting by the distillery's maltmen is the source of The Balvenie's signature sweet, honeyed flavor, and it continues to inspire today's innovative limited editions.
According to handwritten records from the time, the new-make spirit was filled into a European oak sherry cask (Cask No. 239) sourced from Jerez, Spain, on March 5, 1931. The whisky then rested quietly in the warehouse for 88 years, watched over across generations by successive Malt Masters and craftsmen. In 2019, current Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie determined that the time had come and ordered it bottled. The Balvenie 1931 Collection 88 Year Old is limited to just 17 bottles.
Kelsey McKechnie describes the whisky as "a sensory experience that evokes the stillness of an evergreen forest," calling it a presence that transcends the category of whisky altogether — a true time capsule capturing the dawn of The Balvenie. Of its nose, she says: "It's the breath of The Balvenie. Its iconic honeyed aroma intertwines with faint mint leaf and butter fudge, along with a hint of earthiness, while floral heather, damp bracken, and well-worn leather linger in the background. It's a scent that carries a quiet elegance shaped by the passage of many years." Of the palate, she says: "Rich, aromatic oak flows into creamy toffee, velvety honey, and warm spice, with the depth of heather and forest fern slowly emerging. It's a quiet reward brought by years of patience and effort." The finish is long and dry.
The Balvenie's Global Brand Ambassador, Charles Metcalfe, says:
"Every so often, a whisky so rare comes along that it can shape the very future of Scotch whisky. That this cask has not only endured the passage of time but has become truly exceptional in its own right is a testament to the devoted passion of the distillery's craftsmen, the proud stewardship of the Grant family, and the respect and care given to every single cask."
The 1931 Collection
Since its founding, The Balvenie Distillery has practiced what it calls its "Five Rare Crafts": growing its own barley, traditional floor malting, the craft of the cooper, the artistry of the coppersmith, and the intuition of the malt master. These skills have become the distillery's legacy and the foundation of the brand today.
Inspired by this ongoing craftsmanship and the extraordinary rarity of the 88-year-old whisky, Kelsey McKechnie created the limited-edition 12 Year Old and 15 Year Old expressions so that more people could experience it.
The Balvenie 1931 Collection 12 Year Old is made using the same methods as the 88 Year Old. Crafted with 100% floor-malted barley, it is matured in American oak casks before being finished in Jerez sherry casks — the same type as the original Cask No. 239. It offers a refined expression of The Balvenie's classic house style, in a rare form, with layers of honey and delicate spice coming together for a rich, smooth finish.
The Balvenie 1931 Collection 15 Year Old is made using only 100% estate-grown, floor-malted barley. Like the 12 Year Old, it is matured in American oak casks before being finished in Jerez sherry casks, offering velvety, rich honey notes and a sweet, long finish — a more balanced and refined expression of The Balvenie's signature style.
The Balvenie 1931 Collection 88 Year Old will be offered to a limited number of private clients and collectors (not planned for sale in Japan). The 15 Year Old will be available from September exclusively at duty-free stores worldwide, while the 12 Year Old will be sold only in select countries, with a mid-November release planned for Japan.
Artist Daniel Arsham's Interpretation
To mark the birth of The 1931 Collection, The Balvenie realized a landmark collaboration with artist Daniel Arsham, known for blending structural experimentation with historical exploration. For The Balvenie 1931 Collection 88 Year Old, Arsham designed a sculptural form in his signature "time-worn relic" style. It is composed of eight flowing layers, each representing a decade, cast in hand-patinated bronze that echoes the textures and colors found at the distillery and the natural oxidation copper develops over time. The reverse side uses 88 layers of oak to symbolize the whisky's 88 years, and at its center is set a copper disc made from a retired still — embedding a physical fragment of The Balvenie's history into the piece.
Daniel Arsham commented on the collaboration: "When I visited the distillery, I was moved by the craftsman's spirit of the people who have protected and refined their skills across generations, deeply connected to their own origins. Much of my work explores the transformation of time and material, and the history carved into objects, and those themes came together naturally in this project. I aimed for something that carries both an ancient quality and a contemporary sensibility, so that the passage of time could be felt in physical form."
The 88 Year Old is presented in a specially made hand-blown crystal decanter. Inspired by the distinctive shape of the stills known as the "Balvenie Ball," the decanter sits at the center of Arsham's sculpture as if unearthed, precisely carved and polished in 18-karat gold.
The packaging design for the 12 Year Old and 15 Year Old is also intrinsically linked to the 88 Year Old's sculpture. The deeply textured exterior reflects the verdigris patina seen on the sculpture, with copper tones giving way to shades of green, while the interior reveals a textured copper base layer reminiscent of the materials found inside the distillery.
About The Balvenie
The Balvenie is a distinctive single malt Scotch whisky crafted under Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie. While each expression in its diverse range carries its own individual character, they all share the brand's signature honeyed profile. Located in Scotland's Highland region, The Balvenie Distillery continues to proudly uphold its "Five Rare Crafts." It is one of the few distilleries that still practices hands-on craftsmanship from start to finish — from growing its own barley and traditional floor malting to keeping resident coppersmiths and coopers on site — a stance that reflects genuine craftsmanship spanning generations. This relentless pursuit of craftsmanship has been the foundation for continuous innovation and challenge, including the invention of "cask finishing" in the 1980s, which continues to bring depth and rich complexity to whisky today. Founded in 1887 by William Grant, The Balvenie Distillery is still produced by William Grant & Sons, an independent, family-owned company run by his direct descendants, and has received numerous prestigious awards.
About Daniel Arsham
Daniel Arsham is a New York-based artist known for work that fuses sculpture, architecture, performance, and design through a distinctive perspective shaped by experimentation with time, memory, and material. His signature "eroded" aesthetic — depicting artifacts as if unearthed from the future — has become an iconic visual language for exploring impermanence, nostalgia, and transformation. Born in Cleveland and raised in Miami, Arsham's work is held in some of the world's most celebrated museum collections, and he has previously collaborated with major brands.
Please only drink alcohol once you are 20 years of age or older. Please drink in moderation. Please refrain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Drunk driving is prohibited by law. Please recycle after drinking.
