In 1822, a young George Ballantine left home at 13, bound for a grocer apprenticeship in Edinburgh. By 1827, Ballantine had opened his own grocery store in Cowgate, an area of Edinburgh a fair distance away from the majority of other grocers. The decision to open in Cowgate proved to be worthwhile, with Ballantine able to provide goods like tea, soap, and even whisky to a new market in the city.
Just 10 years later, Ballantine shifted the focus of his store to wine and spirits, blending and aging whisky in his shop. Today, Ballantine’s is the world’s No. 2 top-selling Scotch whisky (behind only Johnnie Walker) with over 9 million cases sold in 2022.
The brand, which currently falls under the Chivas Brothers umbrella owned by Pernod-Ricard, has since expanded past the spirits market by partnering with pioneers across the music, video game, and fashion industries. Now that you know the basics, here are seven more things you should know about Ballantine’s.
It all started with a grocery store.
In the 1800s, it was common for grocery stores to purchase an abundance of single malts from distilleries to sell themselves in barrels. At the time, though, single-malt Scotch tended to be inconsistent. Many shop owners, like Ballantine, chose to blend the spirits together to achieve a more appealing flavor profile. By 1836, approximately 10 years after opening his store, Ballantine had honed in on his blending practices, and was hand-selecting malts to add to his blends. His
