Benriach 30 yo - The Thirty

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 46% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Benriach The Thirty combines long-matured Speyside smoke with the influence of four cask types. Made from peated spirit, the whisky matures for at least 30 years in sherry casks, bourbon barrels, virgin oak casks that have never previously been filled, and port casks from the Douro Valley. The whiskies from these different cask types are then married together.

During the long maturation, the smoke mellows and combines with fruit, malt and oak aromas. Dark fruit, walnut and velvety oak spice complement the honeyed smoke character. The mahogany colour comes entirely from the casks. The whisky is bottled without chill filtration at 46% and comes in a 0.7-litre bottle with gift packaging.

The Thirty received a Double Gold medal at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. That same year, the Ultimate Spirits Challenge awarded it 92 points.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, stewed plums and baked oranges meet smoked walnuts and cocoa with cinnamon.
• Palate: On the palate, dark fruit combines with Manuka honey and chocolate-coated raisins.
• Finish: The long, complex finish leaves lingering honeyed sweetness and smoke.

Distillery/Bottler:

John Duff founded Benriach in 1898 on the site of the former Riach farm in northern Speyside. As early as 1900, the industry crisis triggered by the Pattison crash brought whisky production to a halt. The malting floors remained in operation, however, supplying malted barley to neighbouring Longmorn distillery. Benriach did not resume distillation until 1965.

Since 1972, Benriach has also used malted barley smoked with Highland peat. This limited production period is known as Smoke Season and explains the distillery's long tradition of smoky whiskies in a region best known for unpeated malts. Alongside its classic and peated styles, the distillery also makes triple-distilled whisky; The Thirty, by contrast, is made from peated spirit.

Master Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie has worked with Benriach since 2017. For the core range introduced in 2020, she combines different distillation styles, maturation ages and cask influences. The packaging design introduced at that time draws on Benriach's first single malt bottling from 1994.

Facts: