Food & Beverage

The Balvenie’s Makers Project Celebrates Ultimate Craftsmanship with Local Artist Fern Chua

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Click to download the press materials:
1. Press Release
2. Images

The Makers Project embodies The Balvenie’s values of ultimate craftsmanship, appreciating the passion, creativity, heart and skill needed to produce the exceptional craft. As a tribute to the shared unwavering passion and respect for ultimate craftsmanship, The Balvenie and famed local designer Fern Chua have come together to present an art piece titled “Freedom and Fluidity”.

Chua joined the collective of five other “Makers” selected from around the region, with others hailing from Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. Each artist is inspired by the spirit of craft at The Balvenie, exemplified by the Five Rare Crafts that The Balvenie maintains in its whisky-making process – the farmers of the homegrown barley fields, the maltmen who manage the malting floors, the coppers at the cooperage, the coppersmiths and Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE, a pioneer of whisky-making, who has spent close to six decades honing his craft.

The passage to ultimate craftsmanship

The smooth and mellow The Balvenie DoubleWood 12, with beautifully combined flavours of nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness and a delicately proportioned layer of sherry.

Every whisky has its unique history, and for Speyside icon The Balvenie, it is one of prestige and pursuit. For close to 130 years, The Balvenie has stood tall on the world whisky stage. A lineage of fine single malts has seen the label win countless awards for its signature spirit, but this is not just a story about a hand-crafted single malt, it is a tale about the hands that made it. Calloused and weathered, they belong to a team with centuries of collective experience helming the Scottish whisky icon. As one of the last remaining distilleries to boast a full-time malting floor, The Balvenie can honestly hold the rare title of truly hand-crafted.

A true champion of the processes of their craft, The Balvenie’s craftspeople have been committing to their work for decades, pouring their heart into what they do and always continuing to reach the pinnacle of their craft. Looking to inspire a new generation of makers in their fields, The Balvenie’s new partnership will seek to show the passage to ultimate craftsmanship.

Founded on the shared passion for the creative process as well as the time and focus that goes into creating something exceptional, the partnership with The Makers celebrates each of their natural talents and groundbreaking work, the result of the unwavering passion, personality and heart that goes into everything they create – a true embodiment of The Balvenie’s spirit of craftsmanship. 

Exploring creativity and passion with Fern Chua

Discover timeless mastery blended with contemporary beauty with Fern’s Freedom and Fluidity art piece. 

The Balvenie continues to celebrate the ultimate craftsmanship through its Makers Project initiative this year, by exploring creativity with Malaysia’s very own Fern Chua. The hibiscus is one of the core elements of the art piece, capturing the Heart of Malaysia and infusing traditional Batik motifs and fluid patterns that connect the past and present – the same way the spirit of craft lives on at The Balvenie. Additionally, gold wax elements are also distinct throughout the art piece, representing the richness and elegance of the craft.

Known as a pioneer in redefining batik techniques via her brand FERN Batik Collective, Fern’s work represents a blend of the past and present infused with personal experiences. Her unique craftsmanship is also brilliantly illustrated in the The Balvenie-inspired designs of The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 and The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 limited edition artist gift sets, that are available for purchase online. 

The exclusive limited edition artist gift sets of The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 and The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14.

“At The Balvenie, we are continually striving to collaborate with like-minded people who share our passion to create the extraordinary, and our partnership with Fern Chua is a testament to this. We resonate strongly with her ideals for her brand, which is to bridge the traditional with the contemporary through her designs. As part of our collection of Makers who are thoughtful creators, artists, and craftsmen in their own right, each of them have a unique story to tell, similar to craftspeople at the distillery. I’m thrilled to see these stories unfolding as we present these visually-stunning gifts with purchase sets across the region,” said Brett Bayly, Southeast Asia Brand Ambassador for The Balvenie.

Ready to take a sip and enjoy the ultimate craftsmanship? The limited edition artist gift sets are currently available for purchase online at The Meat Experts, Wholly Spirits and Cellar18. Stay up to date with the latest from The Balvenie on Instagram (@TheBalvenieSEA).

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Click to download the press materials:
1. Press Release
2. Images

About The Balvenie Expressions

1. The Balvenie Doublewood 12

DoubleWood 12 was launched in 1993, using a process designed by our Malt Master David Stewart in 1982, now commonly known as ‘wood finishing’. To make The Balvenie DoubleWood, David Stewart MBE takes whisky that has spent at least 12 years in traditional whisky casks, American Oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads, and moves it to Spanish oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks for an additional nine months.

The whisky is then transferred to large oak vessels called “tuns” for 3-4 months to allow the whiskies from individual casks to “marry”. The Balvenie DoubleWood single malt whisky gains its distinctive character from being matured in two different wood types. Each stage lends different qualities to the resulting single malt whisky. The traditional casks soften and add delicate character, the sherry wood brings depth and fullness of flavour and the final few months in our tuns allow the whiskies to marry harmoniously.

Nose: Sweet fruit and Oloroso sherry notes, layered with honey and vanilla.

Taste: Smooth and mellow with beautifully combined flavours ~ nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness and a delicately proportioned layer of sherry.

Finish: Long and Warming

2. The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 year old single malt whisky has been matured in traditional oak whisky casks for 14 years, and then ‘finished’ in casks that previously held Caribbean rum. To create the ideal finish Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE filled American oak casks with his own blend of select West Indian rums.

When he judged the casks to be ready, the rum was replaced with the 14 year old spirit and the wood was put to work adding the final touches. The result is an exceptional single malt whisky with the traditional smooth, honeyed character of The Balvenie married with notes of toffee and a hint of fruit, with a warm, lingering finish.

Nose: Rich, sweet and creamy toffee on the nose combines with fresh fruit notes

Taste: Rounded with vanilla and sweet oak notes, with a fruity character that develops with time

Finish: Soft and lingering

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