Pernod Ricard makes Ballantine's, a line of blended whiskies, in Dumbarton, Scotland. The Ballantine's flavor is based on a combination of 50 single malts and four single grains with unique malts from Miltonduff and Glenburgie. The company's goods have received several honors and medals. Southern Europe has always been a key market for this, the second-highest selling Scotch whisky in the world. Ballantine's whiskey has a long history dating back to 1827, when George Ballantine, a farmer's son, opened a grocery shop in Edinburgh and began offering his customers a variety of whiskies. George handed over management of the store to his eldest son, Archibald, in 1865 while he launched a bigger business in Glasgow. Here, he focused on the wine and spirit industry, serving customers like the Hindu Royal Family. He also started developing his own mixes. Due to the increased demand generated by these, George Jr., the second son, decided to join the company. The company started doing business as 'George Ballantine and Son Ltd,' established a bonded warehouse, and started exporting Scotch. After retiring in 1881, George Senior passed away at the age of 83, leaving George Junior in charge. Under George Junior, the company prospered, and in 1919, the family successfully sold out to Barclay and McKinlay. The new proprietors concentrated on creating 'Ballantine's' as a brand for their blended whiskies, building on the name's goodwill and reputation. In 1937, Hiram Walker Gooderham & Worts, a Canadian distilling company with extensive worldwide expertise, purchased Ballantine's when more resources were required to adequately compete in the expanding global market. The Grant of Heraldic Arms that is seen on the company's bottles was granted the following year, designating George Ballantine & Son as a 'incorporation noble on the Noblesse of Scotland.' The first objective for the new proprietors was to secure fills, so the Miltonduff and Glenburgie Distilleries were bought, and the largest new grain distillery in Europe was constructed at Dumbarton. The corporation headed to Europe in the 1960s because it was a previously untapped market for Scotch whiskey. By 1965, it had established itself there so well that it decided to focus on bolstering its domestic commerce. The popularity of Scotch whisky in the middle of the 1980s and strong distribution were major factors in growth. With Ballantine's Finest, the company's oldest product, Ballantine's was ranked as the top brand in Europe and third overall in 1986. With its consistently well-liked Ballantine's 17, along with 21 and 30, and other super-premium products, Ballantine's is unquestionably the market leader in Korea. The Company joined the multinational Allied Domecq beverage company in 1988. The enormous Dumbarton Grain distillery was shut down in 2002, and production was moved to the Strathclyde Grain distillery in Glasgow's Gorbals. Ballantine's was purchased by Pernod Ricard in 2005. Ballantines continues to operate a sizable network of bonded warehouses in Dumbarton East and a bottling facility to the town's north. Sandy Hyslop was chosen as Ballantine's fifth Master Blender in the company's 180-year history in 2006.