Benriach 25YO 700ml

Benriach 25YO is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky from the Benriach distillery, made from a mix of unpeated and peated spirit. It is matured for at least 25 years across four cask types: sherry casks, bourbon barrels, virgin oak casks and Madeira wine casks. It is bottled at 46% ABV.

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Benriach was founded in 1898 by John Duff in the north of Speyside, near Elgin. It closed only a few years later and did not distil again until 1965. In the 1970s the distillery started making peated spirit, which was unusual for Speyside, and today it makes unpeated, peated and triple distilled spirit. Its whiskies are overseen by Master Blender Dr Rachel Barrie.

The Twenty Five, as Benriach calls it, sits near the top of the core range, above the 21 Year Old. Its four cask approach is the distillery’s signature. Each cask type is matured separately and then married together, so the sherry brings dark fruit, the bourbon barrels add honey and vanilla, the virgin oak adds spice, and the Madeira casks give baked fruit and a nutty richness. After a quarter of a century, the light Speyside smoke has mellowed into the background. It suits a drinker who already knows single malt and wants a mature, layered bottle for a milestone, or a gift for a 25th birthday or anniversary.

Benriach’s own tasting notes:

Nose: Smoked apricot, dark cherry chocolate and hazelnut toffee.

Palate: Baked fruit, toasted oak spice, orange and cinnamon.

Finish: Rich, caramelised smoke.

Serve it neat in a tulip or nosing glass at room temperature, and let it sit for a few minutes before you taste. A drop of water can open it further. Enjoy it after dinner with a cheeseboard, walnuts or dark chocolate.