Benriach Distillery, Speyside

Benriach Distillery was established in 1898 by the Grant family on the same site as Longmorn Distillery. It was mothballed two years after commencing production due to the ‘Pattison Crash’.

In 1965, Glenlivet Distillers re-opened the distillery after a period that saw most of the distillery being rebuilt. In 1978, Benriach was purchased by the Canadian whisky firm Seagrams and was extended from two stills to four. In April 2004, three entrepreneurs led by Scotch Whisky industry veteran Billy Walker acquired the distillery. The company was bought in 2016 by Brown Forman.

In 2007, the distillery extended its core range with three-peated single malt expressions: Herodotus Fumosus, Importanticus Fumosus, and Arumaticus Fumosus. Each malt is distilled from heavily peated malted barley, aged for 12 years and finished in either Pedro Ximenez Sherry butts (Herodotus), Aged Tawny Port hogsheads (Importanticus), or Dark Rum barrels (Arumaticus).

The core range includes The Twelve, The Twenty One, The Twenty Five, and The Thirty. The range was also extended to The Forty in 2022. The distillery's signature style is a richly flavoured malt, emphasising honey, vanilla, and heather flowers, with sweet spices and milk chocolate overtones.

(Adapted from the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2024)