BenRiach is issuing its latest batch of single cask bottlings this week. Available worldwide, Batch 7 maintains BenRiach’s reputation for encapsulating both perfection and rarity in a glass.
The 1976, a classic Speyside
The new release celebrates the sixth anniversary of the first bottling of BenRiach under its new independent owners. Back in August 2004, its ‘Heart of Speyside’ core range of 12, 16 and 20 yo malts became available for the first time. Fast forward six years, and Master Distiller Billy Walker has selected ten highly distinctive casks from 1976 to 1993 for BenRiach aficionados.
These vintage malts are immense and full of character – from pineapple, coconut, honey, and spicy vanilla to treacle toffee, cloves and chocolate coated fruits. And the range of exceptional vintages is enhanced by their prolonged maturation in different casks – from a Virgin American Oak and a Gaja Barolo Finish to a Tokaji and a Peated Tawny Port Finish.
The ten, in ascending chronological order, are:
| Year |
Number |
Strenght |
Age |
Cask Type |
Style |
| 1976 |
8795 |
53.2% |
33yo |
Hogshead |
Classic Speyside |
| 1977 |
1033 |
52.2% |
33yo |
Pedro Ximinez Hogshead |
Pedro Ximenez Sherry Finish |
| 1978 |
4417 |
50.4% |
32yo |
Tokaji Hogshead |
Tokaji Finish |
| 1979 |
7511 |
47.9% |
30yo |
Bourbon Barrel |
Classic Speyside |
| 1980 |
2532 |
51.1% |
30yo |
New Wood Oak Barrel |
Virgin American Oak |
| 1981 |
2589 |
51.6% |
28yo |
Bourbon Barrel |
Classic Speyside |
| 1984 |
493 |
54.1% |
25yo |
Hogshead |
Classic Speyside |
| 1984 |
4052 |
51.7% |
25yo |
Tawny Port Hogshead |
Peated/Tawny Port Finish |
| 1991 |
4389 |
54.9% |
19yo |
Virgin Oak Hogshead |
Virgin American Oak Finish |
| 1993 |
7420 |
56.7% |
17yo |
Gaja Barolo Hogshead |
Gaja Barolo Finish |
Bottled in July 2010, the ten are all bottled at cask strength, with natural color and non chill-filtered. They are individually numbered by hand and presented in a gift tube.
Tagged as:
barolo finish,
benriach,
billy walker,
collectors item,
Speyside,
virgin oak
If you’re into the re-born Glendronach distillery then you’ll indeed be delighted by the launch of a sublime new thirty-one year-old expression selected personally by Master Distiller Mr Billy Walker – the GlenDronach Grandeur.
Op top of the fact that this 31 year old beauty probably tastes like candy it comes in this boxy box.
Billy Walker’s tasting notes reveal the subtleties of the Glendronach Grandeur.
(ps. I had to edit the press release since I’m kinda tired of Suberb, Fantastic, Amazing, Wonderful, Tremendous and so on. Part from that it’s a nice read)
Nose - A concentration of fruits, nuts and berries enveloped in a coffee and mocha glaze. Subtle sweet sherry notes interact with sticky date pudding aromas.
Palate – Very big and gusty flavours adorn each mouthful, yet with balance and refinement. Initial spiced orange flavours and rich old Oloroso sherry are met mid-palate with roasted almonds, coffee and treacle. The dry concentrated flavours from the almonds and the oloroso sherry are balanced in harmony with sultanas, chocolate and honey.
Conclusions – This is a memorable and captivating GlenDronach expression for a very special occasion.
Tagged as:
billy walker,
glendronach,
grandeur,
master distiller,
whisky
“Our grandfather joined the firm within a year of its foundation and it is now owned by the third and fourth generations of his descendants. Each generation has passed on a lifetime’s experience in maturing malt whisky, guided by a simple principle: The future is shaped by what we do today, while today reveals what we did in the past”
Obviously there’s lots of tradition poured into this wonderful bottle of whisky produced by Gordon & MacPhail. I’d sure like to taste a glass!
Found through the excellent packaging blog The Dieline
Tagged as:
Design,
gordon & macphail,
mortlach,
packaging
A couple of posts back I had the honor of presenting a guest post. Now its time to present guest post number 2, this time written by Martin who usually writes on his own blog – the Whisky Critic. Here we go:
Greetings to WhiskyGrotto.com readers. As soon as I saw the first guest post published here, I immediately opened my e-mail client. Johan agreed to have a look at what I have to say and here we come with a guest whisky review.
I choose a really good one for that matter, the Cragganmore 1993 Distillers Edition, double-matured and finished in port wood pipes. Enjoy.
Like fellow Speyside distillery Speyburn choose a locally-influenced name for their single malt (Bradan Orach or Golden Salmon, inspired by the local tradition of salmon fishing), Cragganmore takes its name from the local stone quarry Craggan Mor, meaning Big Rock, the source of the stone used to build the distillery.
While far from the oldest distillery in the Speyside region, Cragganmore is not one of the youngest players either. It’s a well known and respected distillery with a lot of history and awards behind (and more likely than not ahead) of it.
It is not unusual that Distillers Edition bottles are made from lower quality ingredients than the distilleries standard products, with the classy-sounding name being code for ‘not good enough for our usual label’, but such is not the case here. Much like the Speyburn Bradan Orach, this is an excellent whisky for novice single malt drinkers. The port cask finish gives it a sweetness which makes it quite palatable indeed, and it goes down a charm.
Serve at room temperature in glass of your liking. As I often do with single malts, I would recommend skipping the ice for this one (regardless of how suave bond-like characters sound when they order Scotch, on the rocks).
Eye: Light, golden-brown.
Nose: Initial fruitiness and hints of smoke, followed sublimely by notes of orange, nougat, herbs and sweet floral honey.
Taste: Ever so slight smokiness, followed by a hint of nut. This whisky is all about the finish though, which packs a punch of plums, raisins and honey – much thanks to the port finish.
Overall a very smooth, easy to drink whisky – one of my top recommendations for beginners, but also anyone who enjoys a sweet and well balanced single malt; bonus points are given due to the fact that you can pick it up for a rough £35/$55.
Tagged as:
1993,
Cragganmore,
Distillers Edition,
limited edition,
Speyside
Sales director Alistair Walker pulls of a big smile as the BenRiach Distillery Company is celebrating their win of ten top awards in the prestigious 2009 International Wine and Spirits Competition this week.
In results published today this Thursday, the company entered 10 whiskies from both its BenRiach and GlenDronach brands, and won 10 medals – 1 Gold, 8 Silver and 1 Bronze.
GlenDronach has four expressions and all four won medals including a Gold and Best in Class for its 15 year-old ‘Revival’ while BenRiach won a further six awards including two Silver and Best in Class.
BenRiach and GlenDronach scotch single malts awards were:
GlenDronach Medals
Gold Best in Class GlenDronach 15YO ‘Revival’
Silver Best in Class GlenDronach 33YO
Silver GlenDronach 12YO Original (new 2009 version)
Silver GlenDronach 18YO Allardice
BenRiach Medals
Silver Best in Class BenRiach ‘Maderensis Fumosus’ 13YO Peated / Madeira Finish
Silver Best in Class BenRiach 16YO
Silver BenRiach 12YO
Silver BenRiach ‘Curiositas’ 10YO Peated
Silver BenRiach ‘Authenticus’ 21YO Peated
Bronze BenRiach 15YO Dark Rum Finish
The judges’ Tasting Notes for the GlenDronach 15 year old “Revival” commented: “Great concentration of complex aromas on the nose including treacle toffee, chocolate, orange, toasted nuts and vanilla. Great depth in the mouth, with all the nose promised, plus some Demerara sugar, sweet malt and lots of toast. Great balance with firm tightness which is offset to a degree by lots of mellow notes. Long finish has distinct gingery note.”
Managing Director Billy Walker said: “We are absolutely delighted that ten of our expressions have been recognised at such a prestigious competition. The award reflects the incredibly hard work of our team and underscores the outstanding quality of our two brands.”
The company has won a number of awards in recent years. In February this year the BenRiach Distillery beat off competition from around the world to win the coveted “Icons of Whisky” award in London.
BenRiach was also “Distillery of the Year” in the 2007 Malt Advocate Magazine Whisky Awards.
Whisky Magazine named it the “Best Rare Speyside” (for BenRiach Authenticus 21 Year Old) at its World Whisky Awards, also in 2007.
And it won Gold Medal (for BenRiach 16 year old) at the 2006 International Wines and Spirits Competition.
Tagged as:
Awards,
benriach,
competition,
single malt,
whisky
