Ballantine's

History

The origins of Ballantine's Scotch whisky date to 1827, when George Ballantine, a farmer's son, opened a small grocery store in Edinburgh that supplied whiskies to customers. In 1865 he handed the store to his eldest son Archibald and established a larger premises in Glasgow, focusing on wine and spirits and serving clients that reportedly included the Hindu Royal Family. There he began creating his own blends, which generated further demand and brought his second son George junior into the business.

Trading as George Ballantine and Son Ltd, the firm added a bonded warehouse and started exporting Scotch. George senior retired in 1881 and died ten years later at age 83; George junior then took over. The company prospered under George junior and received a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria in 1895. In 1919 the family sold the business to Barclay and McKinlay, who built on the Ballantine's name as a brand for blended whiskies.

In 1937 the Canadian distilling firm Hiram Walker Gooderham & Worts acquired Ballantine's, and the next year the company received the Grant of Heraldic Arms featured on its bottles. The new owners purchased Miltonduff and Glenburgie Distilleries and built a large grain distillery at Dumbarton.

During the 1960s Ballantine's expanded into continental European markets, and by 1965 it had a strong commercial presence there. In 1986 Ballantine's was named the number one brand in Europe and the third largest in the world. In 1987 the company became part of Allied Domecq.

Awards

Ballantine's has earned top honors at major spirits competitions like the International Spirits Challenge, the International Wine and Spirit Competition, and the World Whiskies Awards. In 2021, its Glenburgie 15 Year Old and Glentauchers 23 Year Old single malts both took Gold Outstanding at the IWSC. Three years later, the Ballantine's 30 Year Old was crowned World's Best Blended Whisky and Best Scottish Blended Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards.

Sponsorships and partnerships

Ballantine's association with golf began in 1960 with the first Ballantine's Tournament at Wentworth Club. In 2007 it became an official sponsor of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, continuing until 2015, and also signed a three-year agreement as official sponsor of the Barclays Scottish Open. From 2008 for five years it was title sponsor of the Ballantine's Championship, the first European Tour event in Korea. In 2012 Ballantine's was included as a sponsor of the BMW Masters.

In 2014 it entered a three-year sponsorship agreement with the Kolon Korea Open Golf Championship. That same year it launched the Ballantine's Golf Club, an online golf club, with Ian Poulter as founding captain and Paul McGinley succeeding him in 2015. Ballantine's partnered with the esports team Tundra for The Dota 2 International 2023, serving as the Official Spirit Partner for the game's tenth anniversary, and released two limited-edition Ballantine's Finest x Dota 2 bottles exclusive to China.

In April 2022 it announced a partnership with the video game Borderlands, hiring the character Mad Moxxi as Chief Galactic Expansion Officer and releasing a limited-edition Ballantine's Finest Moxxi's Bar Edition whisky. Ballantine's has also released the True Music Icons limited-edition series. In October 2025 it released the Ballantine's Finest Gorillaz limited edition commemorating 25 years since the band's formation, with a bottle design featuring a new illustration of the four fictional band members.