In 1865, George Ballantine delegated the operation of his Edinburgh store to his eldest son while he opened a large establishment in Glasgow. He focused on the wine and spirit industry, catering to clients, including the Hindu Royal family. He also began to experiment with creating his blends. These inspired additional demand for the company, which drew their second son, George junior, into the business.
Business flourished under George junior, and his family sold out profitably when it was acquired by the firm Barclay & McKinlay in 1919. Hiram Walker Gooderham & Worts bought Ballantine’s in 1937. The following year the Company was granted the right to bear the arms of George Ballantine &son, which it did by adding a label featuring the components to its bottles.
Strong distribution and the widespread popularity of Scotch whisky in mid-1985 significantly influenced its growth. Ballantine’s was ranked the number one brand in the European Union and the third-largest in 1986. In Korea, Ballantines is the clear number one brand in the super-premiere category with its ever-popular Ballantines 17 in addition to 21 and 30. In 1988, the company was acquired by the global beverage conglomerate Allied-Domecq, and since 2005 is part of Pernod Ricard.
Ballantine’s is one of the leaders in the scotch market:
The world’s second-highest selling Scotch whisky, it has historically been strong in Southern Europe, where it was among the first Scotch whiskies to gain a foothold in the market
The core range of Ballantine’s:
