Balvenie goes slow

The Balvenie has become the first Scotch whisky to lend its weight to the Slow Food movement. The Speyside distillery will participate in a series of events designed to celebrate the benefits of a “slow” approach to the production and appreciation of quality food and drink.

The Balvenie is the only single malt whisky distillery in Scotland to still grow its own barley and to maintain the traditional floor malting process. In addition, the company continues to employ a team of coopers for its oak casks, as well as a coppersmith to keep the stills in good working order.

It was this attention to detail and heritage which attracted the interest of Slow Food. Catherine Gazzoli, CEO of Slow Food UK, commented: “It’s our hope that The Balvenie’s partnership with Slow Food will help strengthen the growing movement in support of producers who retain these all-important ingredients of time, care and craftsmanship; so they are not lost forever.”

David Stewart, malt master at The Balvenie, explained the reason for this partnership: “Our support for Slow Food is about promoting respect for traditional production methods that, in our case, are what create The Balvenie’s uniquely honeyed character and make our single malt what it is”.

The Slow Food Movement was founded in Bra, northern Italy in 1989, with the aim of raising awareness of the threat to small producers and local food traditions. The movement current has over 100,000 members across 132 countries, with a UK base in London.

Gabriel Savage, 05.08.09