Balvenie 12 Year Old Single Barrel First Fill

In days gone by, the 'Dipping Dog' would have been employed by thirsty employees at the Balvenie distillery to pilfer whisky by lowering a cylinder into a cask. On retrieving it, its canny owner would have secured his haul by tightly sealing the opening with a cork.

Then the precious contents would have been gently lowered down the employee's trouser leg by a piece of rope and tethered to his belt. The cylinder became know as a 'dog' on account of it being a man's best friend that, like its canine counterpart, was also kept on a lead by one's side.

Today this ingenious contraption is utilised by the Malt Master, David Stewart when sampling an expression directly from the cask.