The Balvenie Portwood 1989 Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a single vintage Balvenie, matured in traditional oak casks since 1989 and transferred to port casks, or pipes, which have previously held fine port wines. Using 40 years of experience and expertise in maturation, David Stewart regularly sampled this specially selected Balvenie to ensure just the right amount of character was imparted by the port casks, enhancing and developing the single malt, whilst preserving the distinctive honeyed characteristics of The Balvenie.

The taste of The Balvenie Portwood 1989 reflects the effect of maturation. Although similar in age to The Balvenie Doublewood 12 Year Old, its maturation in specially selected port pipes has imbued The Balvenie with a very different taste compared to The Balvenie matured in sherry casks.