{"product_id":"balblair-2000","title":"Balblair 2000","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith the emphasis on unique Single Vintage Whisky, only around 10% of the 26,000 casks maturing in the eight traditional dunnages is actually reflected or earmarked as Single Malt. The remainder finds its way into world-renowned blends such as Chivas Regal, Ballantines \u0026amp; Hankey Bannister.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBalblair uses several varieties of barley with minimal peat levels of 1-2 PPM, and its silos have a 30 tonne collective capacity, meaning that the distillery can operate self-sufficiently under the worst winter conditions for up to 3 weeks. At Balblair, one tonne of barley produces just over 400 litres of spirit and production reaches 1.3 million litres of new make spirit annually.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMashing (in stainless steel) takes place in three stages over a six hour timeline; firstly at 65C, secondly at 82C and finally at 92C. This slower natural drainage system assists in giving Balblair spirit its fruit driven characteristics by releasing the fatty compounds in the sugary wort of the mash. Fermentation takes place in six traditional Pine Oregon washbacks, each containing 21,500 litres of fermenting liquid at different times in the process. At 62 hours, the fermentation is one of the longest in the industry; this is to allow the micro-flora bacteria held in the wood of the washbacks to impart a secondary minor fermentation, thus adding further character to the finished ferment. Once finished, the fermented wash is in essence a fruity strong ale of around 8-9% ABV.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDistillation is done in two large stills, one wash \u0026amp; one spirit, which have very large, bulbous bases with thick necks to achieve the heavier, robust \u0026amp; oily spirit preferred by Balblair. Lyne arms run through the still-room wall to copper condensers that cool the vapour back into liquid new make spirit ready for Cask maturation. Maturation occurs in a mix of 95% American Oak ex-Bourbon casks and 5% European Oak ex-Spanish Sherry Casks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhilst the impression, as with wine, would be to release consecutive vintages and once released, the vintage ended, this is not the case here. Some vintages enjoy a second and even third release with some individual casks requiring longer maturation periods, meaning a single vintage whisky based on cask readiness could be released at 10YO, 18YO or 21YO over time depending when bottled. The nature of these specialised whiskies means that vintages are released at random and it is not unusual to have a 2000, 1989 \u0026amp; 1978 vintage all available or released simultaneously on the market. Once again this contributes to the mystery and belief at Balblair that the whisky tells it’s owner when it is ready to move to bottle and be shared.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Balblair Distillery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46489894256719,"sku":"WC0006","price":95.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0722\/1185\/7487\/files\/balblair_2000.png?v=1787700831","url":"https:\/\/thewhiskyclub.com.au\/products\/balblair-2000","provider":"The Whisky Club AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}