Balvenie Debuts 88-Year-Old Whisky in Korea, Blending Heritage and Art
Creatrip Team
8 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.
