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 and in 2020, they underwent a complete rebranding with their new look harking back to their roots, and the release of their first single malt in 1994. The new lineup is impressive with an interesting mixture of casks being used. There's much to look forward to from Benriach (no longer BenRiach). Today's whisky is a 2008, 9 year old peated, port single cask. The combination of port and peat is one of my favourites, not just from BenRiach but in general, so I was super excited to taste it...
Whisky/ Year: The BenRiach 2008 9 year old Peated Port single cask (2018)
Whisky Type: Single Malt
Distillery/Owner: The BenRiach Distillery (Brown-Forman Corporation)
Country/Region: Scotland (Speyside)
Cask Type: Port Pipe
Age: 9 Years Old
ABV: 61.7%
Chill Filtration: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Price: R1300 / $80 / £60
TASTING NOTES
Colour:
Tawny / Russet
Nose:
There's an immediate rush of heavy, sweet peat and ash. This is followed by musty, earthy, and savoury aromas. There's mushroom and cigar leaf, brine and kerosene, with a little saltiness and minerality. After the initial overload of heavy aromas, you find dark fruits, white pepper, and a wonderful spice with clove, allspice, and dried ginger. With water, it's still a bold nose but it becomes less ashy and fruitier
Palate:
The palate is intense with some interesting flavours. The mouthfeel is super viscous, oily, and chewy. There's loads of deep, heavy peat with ash, rubber, and barbequed meat. It's also feinty with wood oils, leather, and incence with a herbaceous note, like peppery rocket. The concentrated, earthy flavour continues with brie cheese rind and cheese mould. Water killed the glorious viscosity and toned down the 'unusual' flavours, so I would add it sparingly
Finish:
The finish is very long. You'll taste the pepper, ashy peat, and sweetness long after your last sip
P.S.
The abv. of 61.7% is no joke. This is a heavy, dense, bruiser of a whisky but certainly one of the best I've had for a while. It's totally different from most peated whisky you'll taste and that's exactly what I'm after at this point in my whisky journey. We get these little surprises from many distilleries but I see a lot of it from BenRiach and that is why they're so revered in my book. They probably bottle too many single casks to taste them all but when you do taste one, you'll more than likely love it. I'm busy savouring the last few drops of this bottle and it'll hurt when I have to say goodbye to it. If you can find one of these, go for it!
SCORE: 9/10
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