The Balvenie is making whisky history with its newly-unveiled 1931 Collection, anchored by an 88-year-old single malt Scotch that’s said to mark the oldest whisky ever released by a distillery. Distilled on March 5, 1931, and laid down in a European oak sherry butt from Jerez, Spain, the ultra-rare liquid yielded just seventeen bottles after being selected for bottling in 2019.
Alongside the crown jewel expression, The Balvenie’s historic new collection includes two additional limited-edition whiskies designed to showcase the brand’s traditional floor malting process: a 12-Year-Old made from 100 percent home-malted barley and a 15-Year-Old crafted from 100 percent home-grown and home-malted barley. Both releases were initially matured in American oak before finishing in ex-sherry European oak butts.
To house the flagship 88-Year-Old decanter, the distillery collaborated with New York-based artist Daniel Arsham to construct a sculptural vessel featuring eight layers of hand-patinated bronze, eighty-eight layers of oak, and repurposed copper from a decommissioned distillery still. Arsham has lately been in high demand for limited-edition luxury brand collaborations, having previously worked with both Hublot watches and the World Poker Tour for a collectible poker chip set.
The Balvenie 88 is reportedly the oldest single malt, the oldest Scotch, and the oldest whisky ever released for sale, according to Food & Wine. It overtakes a Glenlivet-distilled 85-year-old single malt, originally barreled in 1940 and bottled in 2025 by high-end independent brand Gordon & MacPhail. Before that, the record holder was an 84-year-old single malt from The Macallan, sold as part of the distillery’s Time:Space collection in 2024.
“Today marks a seminal moment in The Balvenie’s history as we unveil our oldest whisky ever,” said Kelsey McKechnie, Malt Master at The Balvenie, in a statement shared by the Scotch maker.
“One morning in 2019 I sampled a whisky that had reached perfection. Exceptional in both substance and significance, I quietly instructed for it to be bottled and locked away for safekeeping. Distilled by The Balvenie’s craftspeople in 1931 and filled into a refill sherry butt sourced from Jerez, it then lay silently in our warehouse for a staggering eighty-eight years. It is both inspiring and humbling to be the Malt Master to bring this precious liquid to the world.”
Arsham added: “At The Balvenie, I encountered a spirit that has been carefully shaped by generations of people who have protected and refined their craft, while remaining deeply connected to their origins. Much of my work explores time, material transformation and the histories that objects carry. This collaboration has brought these themes together naturally; I wanted to create something that feels both ancient and contemporary, to make the passage of time tangible.”
The Balvenie’s new collection will officially debut during Frieze Week in Seoul from September 2-5 through an immersive performance directed by Arsham. While the 88-Year-Old is available exclusively to private clients and collectors, the 1931 Collection 15-Year-Old carries an MSRP of $199.99 with availability starting in September exclusively through global travel retail outlets. The 12-Year-Old carries an MSRP of $99.99 in select global markets.