Balvenie Debuts 88-Year-Old Whisky in Korea, Blending Heritage and Art
Creatrip Team
18 days ago
Balvenie unveiled its historic Balvenie 1931 Collection, featuring the brand’s oldest single cask whisky aged 88 years (distilled in 1931), at a Seoul pop-up — the world’s first public showing. The launch at SPACE S50 included a collaboration with contemporary artist Daniel Arsham, who reinterpreted the whisky as a sculpture combining bronze layers, oak elements, and a copper plate from a retired still. Balvenie emphasized five traditional in-house crafts—home-grown barley, floor malting, coopering (barrel making/repair), coppersmithing, and the malt master’s intuition—that enabled such extended ageing. Alongside the 88-year single cask piece, Balvenie introduced a Korea-focused limited ‘1931 Collection 12-Year’ inspired by the 88-year spirit and finished in European oak after American oak maturation with sherry casks from Jerez. The pop-up (Oct 2–6) offers performances, an Arsham-curated exhibition, tasting classes including the 12-year, paid tastings, and signature cocktails; reservations available via CatchTable or onsite.
