🥃 Ballantine's
A blended Scotch whisky whose history goes back to George Ballantine's shop in Edinburgh in 1827; owned by Pernod Ricard (Chivas Brothers).
Ballantine's is a blended Scotch whisky brand whose history goes back to 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. The brand is produced by Chivas Brothers, which belongs to Pernod Ricard.
The year 1827 marks the opening of the shop, not the birth of the recipe: the blend is dated to 1865 or 1910, depending on the source. In 1865 the business moved to Glasgow. In 1935-1937 (the dates vary) the brand was bought by Hiram Walker, which acquired Miltonduff and Glenburgie and built a grain distillery in Dumbarton; it has been mothballed since 2002, and grain whisky now comes from Strathclyde. A crest appeared on the bottle in 1938, in 1987 the brand passed to Allied Domecq, and in 2005 to Pernod Ricard.
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; an age statement refers to the youngest whisky. The standard Finest is 40% ABV.
Master blender Sandy Hyslop has worked on it since 2006. According to 2021 data, it is the second best-selling Scotch brand. The range: Finest, 7 American Barrel, 10, 12, 17, 21, 30 and 40.
Why this 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. The WHO reminds us: there is no safe dose 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%) |
What it includes
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
Is it true that Ballantine's has been made since 1827?
Not exactly. In 1827 George Ballantine opened a shop in Edinburgh, while the blend is dated to 1865 or 1910, depending on the source.
What does the number 12 or 17 on the bottle mean?
The age of the youngest whisky in the blend: the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 require exactly this for any age statement. Older whiskies may also be in the mix.
What is the Ballantine's blend made of?
According to scotchwhisky.com and other sources, about 50 malt and 4 grain whiskies. The base is Miltonduff and Glenburgie.
Who owns Ballantine's?
Pernod Ricard, since 2005; the brand is produced by Chivas Brothers. Before that came Allied Domecq (from 1987) and Hiram Walker.
What is the Ballantine's range?
Finest (40% ABV), 7 American Barrel, and 10, 12, 17, 21, 30 and 40 years old.
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 barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 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 Scotch Whisky — Scotch from a single distillery: only malted barley, water and copper pot stills; at least 3 years in oak, 40% vol. or more.
- 🧑🤝🧑 British — People of Great Britain; their protected West Country Cheddar matures for at least 9 months, and tea is drunk with milk.
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.
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)