Benriach has launched four new single malt expressions that would be available in global travel retail stores in airports:-

• Benriach Quarter Cask, 46% ABV (US$48)
• Benriach Smoky Quarter Cask, 46% ABV (US$48)
• Benriach Triple Distilled 10 Years Old, 43% ABV (US$53)
• Benriach Triple Distilled 22 Years Old, 46.8% ABV (US$99)

Now, Benriach Distillery is an operation that emerged from a difficult and uncertain past. It couldn’t be founded at a worse time - in 1898 - just weeks  before the notorious Pattison whisky crash. To give some context of what its early owners went through, we can just imagine investing our life savings in mortgage-backed securities right before the burst of the US housing bubble in 2008.

Anyway, business struggled and the distillery was mothballed in 1900. It was revived by Glenlivet Distillers Ltd in 1965, only to be mothballed again in 2002. But it was acquired by another group of investors in 2004, and from then on it has been firmly on the rise after its difficult history. 

The distillery makes three malt whisky styles - unpeated malt, peated malt and triple-distilled malt (triple is a rarity in the Scotch industry). It is also one of the two remaining Speyside distilleries (besides The Balvenie) to use the very traditional floor-malting process.

As travel restrictions are lifted all over the world, Benriach is back with 4 new global travel retail (GTR) expressions. 

The new Quarter Cask and Smoky Quarter Cask expressions were matured in smaller bespoke casks for a second round of maturation. This is said to elevate the creaminess and fruitiness of the spirit. The Quarter Cask sees “layers of glazed orchard fruits and rich vanilla, finishing with notes of ripe barley and oak spice”. The Smoky Quarter Cask has “layers of ripe fruit, fresh wood smoke and spiced vanilla, with finishing notes of mellow smoke and nutty oak”.

The Triple Distilled 10 has layers of “glazed fruit, creamy vanilla and honey sweetness alongside vibrant toasted oak spice.” 

The Triple Distilled 22 is Benriach’s oldest triple distilled expression with complex fruit and oak notes. It has “rich layers of caramel mocha and morello cherry, overlaid with mellow nutty elegance and the exquisite richness of orange peel, red apple and date”.

The 4 expressions are now only available in UK airports. From 1st May onwards, they will be available in airports travel retail sections all over the world.

Cheers and Kanpai!

@charsiucharlie