The Balvenie 12YO Golden Cask takes centre stage with immersive pop-ups at key international airports

INTERNATIONAL. William Grant & Sons has unveiled high-profile activations at key travel retail locations to showcase the latest addition to The Balvenie’s Cask Finishes Range: The Balvenie 12 Year Old Golden Cask. 

The campaign has launched at Singapore Changi, Seoul Incheon, Hong Kong, Taipei Taoyuan, London Heathrow, Shanghai Pudong, Beijing Capital, Istanbul, Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Delhi Indira Gandhi and Dubai international airports.

In coming months, it will be rolled out at London Gatwick, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Los Angeles International airports. 

Each activation offers adult travellers a guided tasting experience showcasing The Balvenie’s whisky-making process. The installations feature a curated selection from The Balvenie portfolio, focusing on the Cask Finishes range. 

A focal point is the pop-up at Changi Airport, designed in collaboration with Lotte Duty Free, running until 22 April in Terminal 3 Departures. 

It features a circular design with The Balvenie’s signature honey-toned accents and arches. Displays showcase the available expressions, with a dedicated wall bay for The Balvenie 12 Year Old Golden Cask. 

Other experiential elements include a Cask Finishes Flavour Discovery and Tasting area, where visitors can explore how cask finishing influences whisky flavour.

Through an interactive deconstruction, this sensorial section demonstrates how different casks shape the whisky’s character. Brand ambassadors guide passengers through a tasting of The Balvenie’s whiskies, paired with chocolate to enhance the flavours and textures. 

The pop-up also features a ‘Door to Distillery’ touchpoint, a digital installation transporting viewers to The Balvenie Distillery in Scotland. It spotlights the whisky-making process and the craftsmen behind it. 

The shopping experience is rounded up with an Art of Gifting podium, where passengers can tailor their purchases with personalised Changi-exclusive key chains and luggage tags. 

William Grant & Sons Head of Marketing Global Travel Retail Gwilym Cooke said, “We are excited to partner with our long-term customers on this new series of activations, presenting The Balvenie’s Cask Finishes range and the newest 12 Year Old addition to travellers globally in an interactive and personalised way.” 

Bottled at 43% ABV, the 12 Year Old Golden Cask is finished in rum-seasoned casks. It undergoes 12 years of maturation in traditional ex-bourbon whisky casks, developing the signature Balvenie style with notes of honey and vanilla. 

The Balvenie 12 Year Old Golden Cask joins the 15 Year Old Madeira Cask and 18 Year Old Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask as travel retail exclusives, alongside the 21 Year Old Portwood Cask. 

All four expressions and The Balvenie Rare Marriages collection – including The Balvenie Twenty-Five, Thirty and Forty – are available at The Balvenie pop-up in Changi.