FACTS
The 1890's represented a boom period in distillery development in Scotland and in 1898, BenRiach distillery was built by John Duff, on the same grounds as Longmorn distillery, in the North-East region of Morayshire. Unfortunately, in 1900, the whisky industry suffered a crash resulting in the closure of many distilleries, including BenRiach. Although their floor maltings remained in constant production, to supply Longmorn, it wasn't until 1965 that the distillery re-opened.
With a growth in demand for Scotch whisky in the US, the 1960's saw another boom period for the whisky industry and also the re-opening of BenRiach distillery by Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. In 1972, BenRiach began producing peated malt, a style which it still produces today, along with its unpeated styles. In 1978, it was purchased by Seagrams who stepped up production and by 1985, had doubled the number of stills from two, to four. Although the distillery was open for many decades, it was only in 1994 that they released their first single malt, a 10 year old 'The BenRiach', limited to just a few hundred cases per year.
Seagrams was acquired by Pernod Ricard in 2001 and production was reduced to just three months of the year. It was mothballed in 2002. In 2004, the distillery was acquired by an independent consortium lead by Billy Walker. Production began immediately leading to an almost uninterrupted inventory and the release of 5 new bottlings namely, the No Age Statement 'Heart of Speyside', a 12, 16 and 20 year old and a 10 year old peated whisky, Curiositas.
From this point, the distillery grew from strength to strength. It won 'Whisky Distiller of the Year' at the Icons of Whisky awards in 2009; it filled ten thousand casks of single malt in one year in 2011; in 2012, it restored its malting floors and starting its own maltings, and achieved the award of 'Global Whisky Distiller of the Year' at the 2015 Icons of Whisky Awards. With all it's success, The BenRiach was taken over by Brown-Forman Corporation in 2016 along with The GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh distilleries, with Dr. Rachel Barrie being the Master Blender for all three distilleries.
The BenRiach is one of the most experimental distilleries in Scotland and in addition to their range of peated and unpeated expressions, ranging from 10 to 35 years old, they offer a wide range of cask-finished whiskies, from moscatel to rioja, claret to tokaji, and always have new and exciting releases such as their annual batch of single casks to their batches of both peated and unpeated cask strength whiskies. There's something for all tastes and imaginations...
Whisky/ Year: The BenRiach 16 year old Sauternes Cask Finish (1997 single cask)
Whisky Type: Single Malt
Distillery/Owner: The BenRiach Distillery (Brown-Forman Corporation)
Country/Region: Scotland (Speyside)
Cask Type: Bourbon Barrel (12 years) / Sauternes Wine Cask (4 years)
Age: 16 Years Old
ABV: 59.2%
Chill Filtration: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Price: (Discontinued - Distillery Exclusive)
TASTING NOTES
Colour:
Tawny / Mahogany
Nose:
The nose has a sweet, dusty and powdery quality like sherbert but also earthy, like sand. There are white fruits of apple and pear, and also tropical fruit notes. This is followed by yeast, malt, unripened banana, and honey. Vanilla is present in the form of a custard and there's a sour cream note that comes through, too. Water doesn't change the nose other than toning down the alcohol
Palate:
The mouthfeel is of medium viscosity and the whisky packs a big punch. There's bread dough upfront with fruit salad and BBQ pineapple coming in big. There are also mild vinous, wood, and spice notes intermingled with the fruit and honey. Water brings out even more of the fruit and sweetness
Finish:
The finish is very long and satisfying with a light, spicy woodiness and thick, fruit jammy sweetness pervading
P.S.
This BenRiach 16 year old single cask spent 12 years in a bourbon barrel followed by 4 years in a sauternes wine cask which, no doubt, gave it that jam-like texture and fruit sweetness it has. As far as the yeast/dough notes go, who knows, that may be the sauternes too. This particular bottling was only available at the distillery so it's unlikely you'll be able to buy one of the 293 bottles but it does give an idea of what's to be expected of a whisky matured in a sauternes cask. If they still have the bottle, you'll be able to give it a taste at Whisky Brother Bar, where I had the privilege. Overall, I quite enjoyed it with it's distinct flavours and because it offered something that not many distilleries currently offer.
SCORE: 7.5/10
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