The Tale of the Dog, is a smooth and honeyed expression, delicately balancing sweet date and toffee notes with a light honey spice and lingering oak finish. Inspired by one of The Balvenie’s longest-serving characters, The Tale of the Dog is recalled by Dennis McBain as one of his clearest memories of working at the distillery, from over 50 years ago. It celebrates the story of McBain as a young apprentice being exposed to a new world of distillery life, as a brewer asked for a copper dog – a little copper tube once used for siphoning off whisky straight from the cask – to be flattened and put back for its owner to find. The humbling tale taught McBain what a dog was, why the expression ‘taking a dog for a walk’ was used at the distillery, and that whoever it belonged to had been sent a message, but ultimately given a second chance. McBain’s memory then inspired his suggestion of using dogs instead of unwieldy valinches for distillery tour tastings. And so, every dog used in Warehouse 24 tours is there because of Dennis McBain and his early days at The Balvenie.
The Balvenie Stories range is the embodiment of these chronicles: tales of character written in whisky, bringing life to history of bold endeavours and extraordinary twists. Each whisky is crafted with passion and has its own luxuriously smooth taste, underpinned by the distinctively honeyed character of The Balvenie.