An Evening of Rare Craft at Erawaan with Balvenie

There are tasting events, and then there are evenings that unfold like a proper yarn, layered, rich with atmosphere, and altogether impossible to rush. At the Tasting Studio inside Erawaan, nestled deep within The Claridges, New Delhi, master orator and malt educator Anand Chintamani hosted precisely such a gathering; an intimate exploration of The Balvenie, shaped as much by lively banter and centuries of lore as by the liquid gold in the glass.

Home to what stands as the country’s first and only tasting studio, The Claridges has quietly and firmly become a sanctuary for Delhi’s single-malt faithful. Its niche gatherings are tailored for those who care to look beyond the label on the bottle, eager to understand the flesh-and-blood people, the quiet rituals, and the stubborn patience behind every pour. This particular evening was simply another masterclass in why the venue has earned such a devout, clear-eyed following amongst enthusiasts and connoisseurs, alike.

Anand Chintamani’s finest gift as a speaker is his knack for making hard-won wisdom feel as comfortable as an old pair of leather boots. His delivery glided effortlessly between sharp technical detail and wry anecdote, balancing reverence with a sly wit, never allowing the affair to stiffen into a lecture.

With an innate sense of rhythm, he let the story breathe building anticipation, holding a beat just long enough to let a thought settle, and then tossing in a subtle observation that completely shifted how one tasted the spirit in hand. The room rose and fell with his storytelling. One moment, the table was dead quiet, lost in the deep heritage of the brand; the next, a ripple of laughter went around the room over a sharp observation, before everyone leaned back in, keen to catch some well-kept secret about cask maturation or the folklore of the stillhouse.

What made the night so genuinely rewarding was his nudge for folks to taste with intent. Each dram wasn’t just served; it was an open invitation to go hunting for what lay beneath; a whisper of warm spice, over-ripe orchard fruit, or the deep, lingering comfort lent by a well-chosen cask. Water was introduced as a crucial key, unlocking subtle aromas that otherwise would have stayed sleeping in the glass.

A Distillery Built on Calluses and Conviction

The Balvenie’s charm rests in its unyielding, old-fashioned stubbornness. Tucked away in Speyside, the distillery houses one of Scotland’s last working traditional floor maltings an age old practice almost entirely abandoned by modern efficiency. Here, green barley is raked across the malting floor, where malt men turn the germinating grain by hand four times a day, seven days a week, rain or shine.

“Craftsmanship isn’t a slick line written by a marketer when the work itself still demands sore muscles, sharp eyes, and real sweat.”

It is a deceptively simple picture, but one that lays bare the heart of the brand: “craftsmanship” isn’t a slick line written by a marketer when the work itself still demands sore muscles, sharp eyes, and real sweat. Turning that grain keeps it from overheating, requiring a gut-level read on moisture and temperature that no computer screen can ever truly mimic.

That same pride runs straight through the place. From the ironmongery of their coppersmiths to the tight-knit cooperage binding the staves, The Balvenie remains a living testament to specialist skills kept alive. It pulls whisky lovers in not because it’s a museum piece, but because it proves what honest, unhurried work can still produce in a modern world.

By the time the last glass settled, conversation drifted naturally toward the bucket-list corners of the estate: the sawdust-scented cooperage and the famous Caribbean rum casks used to finish the 14-Year-Old.

Cocktails with a Soul

The night also put on a fine display of how gracefully a top-tier single malt can let its hair down. Two cocktails featuring The Balvenie 12 Year-Old showcased the whisky’s range without burying its soul.

The first, The Balvenie Craftsman’s Touch, married the spirit with dark chocolate bitters and rich demerara syrup. It was thick and smooth, and quietly decadent; allowing the malt’s inherent warmth to sit comfortably beside the bittersweet cocoa and dark sugar.

The Balvenie Highball took a sunnier path. Stretched long with cold soda and crisp tonic, it was bright and effervescent, yet retained enough backbone to keep the malt front-and-center a thoroughly drinkable companion for a long night of good talk.

Together, the pair proved the spirit’s versatility: one built for dark corners and deep thinking, the other crisp, cheerful, and made for sharing.

A Kitchen that Knows its Craft

As expected, the kitchen at Erawaan rose to the occasion, turning out dishes with quiet confidence that walked hand-in-hand with the whiskies rather than wrestling them for center stage. The jumbo prawns and crispy lotus stem starters deserve a nod of their own while plump charcuterie boards rounded out the spread, offering the ideal hit of salt, cured fat, and spice to reset the palate between drams.

The perfect bites that kept the evening flowing naturally keeping things convivial, hearty, and blissfully free of pretension.

A Night for the Ledger

What guests carried out into the Delhi night wasn’t just a list of tasting notes, but the warm feeling of having stepped into a grander story. The Balvenie’s heritage runs deep and wide, from the steady rake of the malt man to the rhythmic hammer of the cooper.

For The Claridges, it was another feather firmly planted in their cap: a polished, soulful evening where great food, effortless hospitality, serious whisky lore, and good company all pulled in the same direction.

It was, through and through, a night to remember leaving everyone with a sharper palate, a newfound respect for honest labour, and a sudden urge to book a flight to Speyside.