Benriach 16 yo

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 43% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Benriach The Sixteen combines three maturation styles in a fruit-led Speyside single malt. Whiskies aged for at least sixteen years in former bourbon and sherry casks and virgin oak casks are married together. The virgin oak casks are new oak casks that have never held alcohol. This combination brings together stone fruit, creamy malt notes, wild honey and nutty oak spice, with a delicate trace of smoke adding to the character. Its bronze colour develops entirely during cask maturation.

The Sixteen returned to the range in selected markets in November 2022 with a revised recipe, after the sixteen-year-old Benriach had been absent since 2016. Developed by Rachel Barrie and her team, this bottling fills the age gap between the distillery's twelve- and twenty-one-year-old malts. It is offered at 43% in a 0.7-litre bottle and comes in a presentation tube.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, baked apple and creamy malt mingle with hazelnut notes. Apricot with ginger spice and honey adds to the aromas.
• Palate: On the palate, spiced apple compote and stone fruit meet gentle, nutty oak. Honey-sweet malt and candied fruit peel complement the flavours.
• Finish: The medium-length finish combines earthy cinnamon with vanilla and malt sweet notes.

Distillery/Bottler:

John Duff founded Benriach in 1898 on the site of the former Riach farm in northern Speyside. By 1900, the distillery had to close following the Pattison crisis. Its floor maltings remained operational, however, supplying malt to the neighbouring Longmorn Distillery. This kept the site in use until Benriach resumed distilling its own whisky in 1965. The distillery has belonged to Brown-Forman since 2016; Rachel Barrie took on the role of Master Blender the following year.

Benriach uses four additions of water during mashing to extract as much sugar as possible from the barley. The water comes from an aquifer beneath the distillery grounds. For its classic distillation style, the stills are run slowly, with a longer heart cut intended to preserve the esters that contribute fruity notes. Alongside this classic style, the distillery also produces peated and triple-distilled whiskies. An internationally sourced selection of casks is available for maturation. The historic Warehouse 13, dating from 1898, holds all three spirit styles, which Rachel Barrie and her team use to create different bottlings.

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