• The brand's beginnings date back to 1827, when George Ballantine opened a grocery store in Edinburgh and sold whiskies selected for their high quality. He went on to specialise in the wines and spirits trade, then to creating and perfecting his own blended whiskies. George Ballantine was then appointed supplier to the British royal family.
  To cope with the growing demand, he asked his second son to go into business with him, and founded George Ballantine and Son Ltd. The company then began to export and expanded fast.
  
  
• In 1895, the company was granted the Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria, rewarding the prestigious reputation acquired by Ballantine's in high society.
  
  
• In 1919, the Ballantine family accepted a buy-out offer from Barclay and McKinlay. The new owners undertook to develop Ballantine's as a commercial brand, thereby promoting the excellent blends they had inherited.
  
• In 1937 the company was rewarded by a Grant of Heraldic Arms, recognising George Ballantine & Son as an "incorporation noble on the Noblesse of Scotland". The heraldic arms that decorate the Grant still appear on bottles of Ballantine's today.
  
  
• Since then, Ballantine's has developed to become the leading seller of Scotch whiskies in Europe, and the 3rd global brand of scotch whiskies. Bought by Pernod Ricard in 2005, the brand has been distributed in France by Pernod since January 2006.

Ballantine's blended scotch whiskies combine malt and grain whiskies from the most famous regions of Scotland, to create elegant, balanced scotch whiskies of unique complexity.
The age shown on bottles of Ballantine's corresponds to the youngest whisky used in its composition.

Two signature malts give Ballantine's its identity and style: Glenburgie and Miltonduff.

Opened in 1810, the Glenburgie distillery is one of the oldest in the Speyside region. It produces a single malt that gives sweet notes of fruit to Ballantine's.
- The Miltonduff distillery, also in Speyside,. has produced a floral malt with soft vanilla notes since 1824.
Ageing in oak bourbon casks gives it vanilla notes, revealing the floral and lemony characters of the malts.

Each malt and grain whisky therefore offers its own character, whose blending is skilfully orchestrated by the cellar masters to produce the Ballantine's range of premium scotch whiskies.

This range is therefore the result of the work of a dynasty of cellar masters who, in the tradition of George Ballantine, use all their skills in the service of making high quality Scotch whiskies - complex, elegant and balanced.

How to taste

First look at the light and the colour of your whisky. These can tell you a lot about its taste and character. The colour varies from a very pale to a caramel brown or even red shade, depending on whether the casks used are oak (golden) or sherry (amber red).

Then, olfactory analysis of the whisky reveals its aromas. Turn the glass to release the aromas and breathe gently. You will be able to detect notes of sugar, smoke, spice, fruit, etc.

The taste then confirms the olfactory analysis. Take a small mouthful and swirl it around your mouth so that it comes into contact with all areas. Identify:
The body: is the texture, the sensation in the mouth, oily, silky, round, velvety, hard?
The palate: is the flavour of the whisky spicy, wooded, malty, fruity?
The finish: is the taste of whisky remaining in your mouth rich, prolonged, light, dry?

We recommend drinking Ballantine's whiskies as an aperitif or digestif, neat, with mineral water or on ice.

• Ballantine's Finest makes a great aperitif, ideally as a whisky sour: shake together 4 cl Ballantine's Finest, 4 cl lemon juice and 2 cl cane sugar syrup in a shaker with a few ice cubes and serve in an "old fashioned" type glass, decorated with a twist of orange peel.

• Ballantine's 12 Year Old is particularly well suiting to drinking as an aperitif.
  A blend of a selection of whiskies aged for at least 12 years, it offers a complex palate with a perfect balance between the aromas of oak, fruit and spices. Its fresh finish makes it a perfect whisky for an aperitif, to be drunk neat, on ice or diluted with still or sparkling water, accompanied by spicy appetizers.

• Ballantine's 17 Year Old is the ideal digestif, thanks to its smooth texture and its complex flavours, combining the sweetness of honey with notes of oak and peat. This whisky goes perfectly with the flavour of a good chocolate to provide the final touch to your dinner.

• Ballantine's 21 Year Old is a perfectly balanced whisky with notes of heather, smoke and aromatic spices
  At the end of a meal, its deep rich flavours are an excellent accompaniment to coffee and dark chocolate.
  

• Ballantine's 30 Year Old is the whisky for exceptional moments: a blend of the best Scotch whiskies, aged for at least 30 years in oak barrels, this is a rare whisky. Its rich flavour, combining sherry and honey notes with floral and smoky aromas, goes wonderfully with chocolate for a sophisticated digestif.