Balvenie 15 years old Single Barrel 1980/1996 Cask No 13282 Single Malt Scotch Whisky 100 cl 50,4%

A litre bottle from 1996 is a time capsule in its own right. Back then the big formats were made for airport duty free, and most of them were drunk on the way home from holiday. This one never got opened.

The expert's description

Balvenie 15 Single Barrel Cask No. 13282 is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in one single oak cask and bottled at 50.4 % in litre format.

The cask was filled on 6 October 1980 and drawn on 18 January 1996. The outturn was 300 bottles, and the bottling is neither chill filtered nor colour adjusted. The litre format suggests the bottle was originally intended for the duty free market, where the larger sizes dominated through the 1990s.

The Balvenie Single Barrel series launched in the early 1990s and was among the first official single cask bottlings from a major Speyside distillery. Casks from 1980 are hard to find in original bottling today, and an unopened litre from 1996 counts among the more unusual finds.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dry oak, honey and a strong note of wax. Behind it sit walnut, orange marmalade and a little old leather.

Palate

Dense and warm with honey, dried fruit and spiced wood. A clear malt core sits under it all, keeping the oak at arm’s length.

Finish

Long and dry with wax, nut and a warm close.

Specifications

Name: Balvenie 15 år Single Barrel Cask No. 13282
Distillery: Balvenie
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 15 years
ABV: 50,4 %
Size: 100 CL
Cask type: Oak cask, Cask No. 13282
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 6 October 1980
Bottled: 18 January 1996
Number of bottles: 300
EAN no.: 5010327518138

Flavour profile

Waxy · Honeyed · Nutty · Full bodied · Dry

Investment potential

High. A 1980 cask drawn in 1996 in 300 bottles, in a litre format no longer produced, hits several of the criteria collectors look for. The supply of original 1990s Balvenie Single Barrel bottlings shrinks year by year.

Did you know?

Litre bottles quietly disappeared from whisky shelves when intra-EU duty free was abolished in 1999. The format survives in places, but the old 1990s litre bottlings exist only in the numbers made back then.

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Frequently asked questions about Balvenie 15 Single Barrel 1980/1996

Why is the bottle 100 cl?

The litre format was used for the duty free market, where travellers could buy larger bottles. When intra-EU duty free was abolished in 1999, the format slowly disappeared from the shelves again.

How many bottles were made?

The cask yielded 300 bottles. That is the entire outturn, and no more will follow, since the barrel was empty after the January 1996 bottling.

How does it differ from the other 15 year old single cask in the range?

The casks were filled a year apart and drawn two years apart, and each has its own character. Cask 13282 is drier and waxier than most others out of Speyside, where the later casks typically show more fruit. That is the whole point of single cask.

Is a bottle from 1996 still good?

Yes, if it has been stored properly. Whisky does not develop in the bottle the way wine does, but corks can dry out and evaporation across thirty years can lower the level. Upright, dark and cool storage is what matters.

What does non-chill filtered mean here?

That the whisky has not been chilled and filtered to remove the fatty acids that cause haze at low temperatures. It keeps more of its oils, which usually gives a denser texture, but it may turn cloudy with ice or water. That shows up most clearly in a clean whisky glass.

Can you still buy Balvenie Single Barrel?

The series still exists, but in newer editions from different casks and different vintages. The original 1990s bottlings trade purely on the secondary market and through specialist retailers.