Benraich Just Dropped Its Oldest Whisky Ever
The Speyside distillery's new Scotch is exceedingly rare, as only a few dozen bottles are available worldwide.
Anyone paying attention to Scotch over the last few years has noticed the rise of Benriach. Thanks to a variety of fantastic releases—like last year’s The Sixteen—the Speyside brand has begun working its way into the single malt drinker’s zeitgeist.
The distillery began producing whisky back in 1898, and over the years cycled through ownership by many of the whisky industry's biggest companies, including Seagrams and Pernod Ricard, before landing with Brown-Forman. Over that time, Benriach held onto a treasure trove of unique whiskies, as well as a stash of its own old spirit, which it just used to create its oldest ever whisky: Benriach 50.
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There are just 37 bottles of Benriach 50 out there in the world. And five of those were rolled out in global travel retail (also known as GTR, which includes spaces like duty-free shops in airports) after the whisky was launched last month.
“[Benriach 50] is the finest portrayal of Benriach’s fruit-laden style, with unrivaled complexity and luxurious refinement,” says Stéphane Morizet, marketing director of GTR at Brown-Forman.
The whisky comes from bourbon cask 2383, which was filled with unpeated Benriach new-make spirit on September 21, 1966. Over all those years, it came to develop aromas of oak, chestnut, Maraschino cherry, and honey. The palate, meanwhile, delivers flavors of honeyed dates, delicate oak spices, and lingering apple, which appear alongside notes of pear and grapefruit.
“At Benriach Distillery, our ability to nurture flavor has been informed by our heritage in maturing an eclectic array of casks from across the world and we have a creative philosophy and exploratory approach towards whisky making,” says Rachel Barrie, master blender at Benriach. “Over many decades, this has granted an expert understanding of what makes the exceptional cask.”
Benriach 50 is bottled at 44.5 percent ABV and features a suggested retail price of £25,000 (about $31,300) per bottle.