In 1898, John Duff built the Speyside Distillery, BenRiach, due to a downturn in the whisky industry the distillery was closed shortly after in 1900 but secured the future of the business as a floor malting company until starting to reproduce whiskies again in 1965. It is one of the few distilleries with its own on-site floor malting and draws its water from the Burnside Springs. Having previously been used in blends, Benriach was released for the first time as a 10 year old Single Malt in 1994. Despite being limited to small bottling runs, the expression would begin Benriach’s legacy of a flagship 10 year old whisky.
This exquisite single malt has been triple cask matured in a combination of bourbon barrels, sherry casks and virgin oak casks. The Sixteen is based on a revised recipe of a previous rendition of 16 year old Benriach that was discontinued in 2016. After sixteen years of maturation, the Benriach distillate develops a richly balanced evolution of signature Speyside style. The three cask maturation in bourbon, sherry and virgin oak brings layers of stone fruit, smooth creamy malt, wild honey and nutty oak spice.
Our signature Speyside style blossoms at ten years old, finding depth and richer layers of orchard fruit character as it turns sixteen. Our core flavour components of fruit, malt and oak become more concentrated, enriched with age at sixteen years old, bringing layers of stone fruit, smooth creamy malt, wild honey and nutty oak spice. – Rachel Barrie, Master Blender.
This whisky is a golden bronze in colour. Baked apple and creamy hazelnut malt with overtones of ginger-spiced apricot and honey. Spiced stewed apple, stone fruit and mellow nutty oak, with honeyed malt and candied peel, with just a hint of smoke.
The Finer Details
Style – Scotch Whisky
Country – Scotland
Region – Speyside
Bottle Size – 700ml
ABV – 43%
