The Sea Wolves (1980) Part II

In my last Sisco Vanilla at the Movies post on the movie The Sea Wolves (1980) Part I, I highlighted the premise for the movie. In the movie, the British government sends in an unlikely black ops group to Goa, India to disrupt a German freighter that seems to be relaying coordinates of British ships in the Indian Ocean to U-boats that are sinking British ships. In order to go through with the plans for the operations, diversions are planned in order to attract attention from the harbor.

While Captain Gavin Stewart (Roger Moore) is out planning his diversions, his fellow saboteur Jack Cartwright (Trevor Howard) is sitting back enjoying a glass of scotch in his room. From the bottle on the table, I notice that the brand of scotch he's drinking is Ballantine's.

The Ballantine's brand is under the Pernod-Ricard umbrella of liquor brands and is described as follows:

Ballantine’s is the world’s No.2 Scotch whisky. Distilled in Scotland, Ballantine's proposes the most comprehensive range of quality aged blended Scotch whiskies available anywhere in the world.

The heritage of Ballantine's Scotch whisky can be traced back to the year 1827, when George Ballantine began supplying a selected range of Scotch whiskies to a distinguished clientele from a grocery store in Edinburgh.

In terms of availability, Ballantine's is found in the following markets:

Spain, France, Germany, Poland, China, Germany, Travel Retail, Japan, Brazil, Portugal, Chile, Korea, Taiwan.

In terms of product popularity, Ballentine's is the:

No.2 Scotch whisky in the world
No.1 Scotch whisky in Europe (excluding Duty Free)
No.1 Ultra-Premium scotch whisky in South-Korea and Japan
5.9 million cases sold worldwide

Going to the Ballantine's website, the product is described as follows:

Soft, sweet and complex. Ballantine's Finest is a complex, refined & elegant blended scotch whisky. It is regarded as the taste to satisfy a modern style.

The blend’s light gold colour and unmistakable taste come from a complex mix of carefully selected malt and grain whiskies — all aged for many a year in high quality casks.

In terms of the flavor notes for Ballantine's:

Nose: Soft, elegant, heather honey aromas with a hint of spice.

Taste: Well balanced subtle flavours with tones of milk chocolate, red apple and vanilla.

Body: Rounded.

Character: Soft, sweet and complex.

Colour: A light gold.

Finish: The sophisticated after-taste gives a fresh, floral and rounded glow.

The Whisky Exchange website describes Ballantine's Finest Scotch as follows:

70cl / 40% Blended Scotch Whisky

Blended from more than 50 single malts (with particular emphasis on Miltonduff and Glenburgie) as well as 4 single grain whiskies. Ballantine's Finest is a smooth, satisfyingly modern blend, now picking up serious momentum in overseas markets under owners Chivas Brothers. Whisky Bible 2011 & 2012: Scotch Blend of the Year (NAS); 96 Points

Now, I'm not sure how easily I can find some Ballantine's here in NYC, but I do think that I've possibly seen a bottle or two of Ballentine's Scotch Whisky on shelves at a bar. Now if I can just remember where I saw it. I guess I'll have to keep my eyes open during my travels. Any ideas?

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla
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