Storied Speyside distillery Benriach – best known for their classic, peated and triple distilled whiskies – has unveiled a revamp for their core range of bottlings.
Recently made available in Singapore since its international launch in late 2020, the portfolio comprises two 10-year-old expressions (Original Ten and Smoky Ten), two 12-year-old expressions (The Twelve and Smoky Twelve), as well as a premium selection of Twenty One, Twenty Five and Thirty Year Old single malts.
[Read more: Japanese whisky finally gets labelling guidelines]
The change comes as Benriach’s master blender, Rachel Barrie, alongside her team, takes inspiration from the distillery’s long history to craft a step forward into the future for the brand.
“The new range perfectly marries tradition and innovation that is central to Benriach’s story. Inspired by the 1994 bottling of the Original Ten, with its fruit-laden complexity and smooth, rounded taste, the new range reimagines the 1898 origins of Benriach, brought to life in the 21st century through fusing distilling styles with extraordinary casks,” states Barrie in a media release.
This is a big change for Benriach, and also for Barrie. A trained chemist and veteran in the whisky industry, this revamp is yet another major milestone and mark for her in the field. More than a cosmetic change for the Speyside distillery, the new recipes are a major achievement for the now-legendary master blender as well.
[Read more: Taiwanese whisky darling Kavalan launches new artist series]
She comments regarding the new range: “In the new Original Ten, a more richly flavoured, rounded malt character might be discerned, whilst The Twelve balances richly sherried malt with added layers of fruit complexity, reaching a pinnacle at twelve years old.
“The new Smoky Ten and Smoky Twelve explore the sweet smokiness of Benriach, enriched through innovative combinations of rum, virgin oak and marsala casks interwoven with more traditional bourbon and sherry.”
Meanwhile, the older premium bottlings have been matured in a diverse selection of oak casks, and are “interwoven with complex layers of refined and mellow smoke”.
Looking ahead, Benriach has also announced plans for small batch and limited edition ‘Malting Season’ expressions, as well as a new ‘Smoke Season’ bottling, which seeks to explore the full intensity of Benriach’s fruit-forward smoky spirit.
[Read more: Tanqueray releases zero alcohol version of its gin]
Benriach is also expected to debut an official visitor centre to the public later this year. Assuming global travel restrictions are lifted, visitors will be able to explore the more than 120-year-old Scotch brand on-site for the first time.
Benriach is being distributed in Singapore by Malt & Wine Asia.
About the Author
Dannon Har is the Managing Editor of Spill. Discovering his innate gift for drinking only at a ripe age, he spares no time trying to find more delicious drops to imbibe during his time on Earth. When he’s not minding every detail at Spill, he spends his time concocting luscious libations and sharing them with folks that visit his home bar.