New core range expression marks a significant milestone for the Elgin distillery

This release is a momentous high point for the award-winning Elgin distillery as the whisky is the first core range expression to be produced predominantly from spirit distilled under The BenRiach Distillery Company’s eleven-year ownership.

Managing Director Billy Walker and his South African partners Wayne Kieswetter and Geoff Bell acquired BenRiach from Chivas Brothers in April 2004.

Bottled at 43% vol, the BenRiach 10 Years Old is Classic Speyside in character. The cask formula focuses on ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks – exactly the types of wood we favour at BenRiach. This fresh, lively, fruit-laden single malt captures warm oak spices, green apple, dried apricots, peach and banana with subtle touches of aniseed, lemon zest and barley.

Billy Walker’s tasting notes show that this special single malt is a stunning addition to BenRiach’s core range.

Colour : Crisp summer gold.

Nose : A fresh and lively combination of crisp, green orchard fruits, stem ginger and hints of tangerine mellows to creamy vanilla with a delicate note of mint and a gentle twist of citrus, all held together with a sweet barley back note.

Taste : Warm toasted oak spices flood through green apple skins and dried apricots, ripening to hints of peach and soft banana. Subtle touches of aniseed and lemon zest create a contrasting edge to the fruit and add an intriguing character to the long, crisp barley finish.

Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “Last year we released our tenth anniversary BenRiach bottling with four casks from the first week of distillation, but that was a strictly limited one-off expression.

“Today’s release is something different and is even more important for us going forward. The BenRiach 10 Years Old is a key new launch for us as it marks a significant milestone – it is the first core range expression to be created predominantly from whiskies distilled at BenRiach since we took over in 2004. We have, effectively, been working towards this single moment since we acquired BenRiach Distillery and the 10 Years Old expression will become the cornerstone of our range.”