The meeting point was the HintHunt, a life-size escape room, to discover the “key to assembly” box signed by Sandy Hyslop, Master Assembler at Ballantine’s. 
A former quality controller in whisky production, Sandy Hyslop was appointed Ballantine’s fifth Master Blender in 2005. Able to identify more than 10,000 scents, thanks in no small part to the twenty years of training required to learn the trade, this guardian of savoir-faire has designed a boxed set around Ballantine’s 17 Year Old.
“La clé de l’assemblage” showcases the unique balance of Ballantine’s 17-Year-Old through three signature limited editions, each housed in an interlocking case.
The four boxes open in succession, revealing the role each malt plays in the Ballantine’s 17-Year-Old tasting experience: the attack, the palate and the finish.
When we remove the first compartment, we find the Miltonduff Edition, a whisky with spicy, sweet and floral aromas, bringing sweetness and balance to the attack of the blend.
Then we discover the Glenburgie Edition, a blend of sweet flavors such as blackcurrant and apple combined with the sweetness of honey, which plays an essential role at the heart of the 17-year-old’s conception.
Next comes Glentauchers Edition, a light whisky underscored by delicate, subtle nutty and berry flavors, with an incredibly long finish.
So why find ourselves in an escape room? There’s one thing this box has in common with HintHunt: the key. Indeed, in order to leave the room, you need to find clues that will enable you to solve several riddles leading to the key and thus to the completion of the game. The same applies to “The Assembly Key”: to open the final compartment, you have to remove and uncover the three other compartments that will lead you to the Holy Grail: the Ballantine’s 17 Years Old.
The “best blended scotch whisky of the year 2014” was created in the 1930s with a blend unchanged for 75 years, it is made up of numerous grain and malt whiskies with different styles but only 17 years of age. Deep but complex, it gives off notes of spicy licorice combined with sweeter flavors of honey and vanilla. The finish is slightly spicy and long, but always gentle.
This limited-edition set is available exclusively from selected wine merchants, at La Maison du Whisky, at the Whisky Lodge in Lyon and at www.barpremium-laboutique.com, at a guide price of €800.
HintHunt
58 Rue Beaubourg
75003 Paris
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