🥃 The Balvenie Founder’s Reserve

A discontinued and increasingly collectible Balvenie expression created to honour distillery founder William Grant. Known for its smooth, classic Speyside profile, this bottling blends whiskies matured in bourbon and sherry casks—a precursor to modern Balvenie flavour style.

🧩 Features & Details

Brand / Expression: The Balvenie – Founder’s Reserve
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Region / Origin: Speyside, Scotland
ABV: Typically 40% (rare older editions may be 43%)
Bottle Size: Commonly 700 ml / 750 ml
Maturation / Cask Details:

• Combination of ex-bourbon oak and Oloroso sherry casks

• Crafted to showcase a balanced, traditional Speyside character
  Status: Discontinued (phased out in the mid-2000s). Now a collectible vintage Balvenie.

👃 Tasting Notes

Nose:
Honey, ripe fruit, vanilla, malt sweetness, gentle spice, and a hint of citrus. Soft sherry tones with light oak.

Palate:
Smooth and rounded; flavours of honeyed malt, toffee, dried fruit, vanilla cream, light sherry, and subtle spice. Balanced and easy-drinking.

Finish:
Medium and warming; sweet malt, mild spice, soft oak, and lingering vanilla.

⭐ Independent Review Highlights

• Frequently described as a classic old-style Balvenie, lighter and more delicate than modern releases.

• Praised for its balance and smoothness, making it a favourite everyday dram in its era.

• Collectors appreciate it as a snapshot of Balvenie’s early flavour profile, pre–DoubleWood dominance.

• Older bottlings with vintage packaging earn strong nostalgia value.

🎁 Presentation & Collectibility

Ideal For:
Balvenie collectors, fans of discontinued Speyside malts, whisky historians, and vintage bottle enthusiasts.

Serving Suggestion:
Best enjoyed neat; a splash of water can reveal softer honey and citrus notes. Suitable for quiet sipping rather than complex exploration.

Collectible Notes:

• Fully discontinued—value increases with age and condition.

• Early 1990s bottles, tin-tube packaging, and 43% ABV editions are the most collectible.

• High value depends on seal integrity, fill level, packaging condition, and region of bottling.

• Often seen as a must-have for complete Balvenie collections.