Up in the north of Speyside you will find BenRiach just outside of the city of Elgin. BenRiach was founded in 1898 by John Duff (Grant Family) as nabodestilleri to the Longmorn Distillery which was also owned by John Duff. Many called also the distillery of Longmorn II the first many years. The distilleries were linked by a private railway with the steam locomotive that transported the coal, barley, malt and barrels between the distilleries.
Already in 1900, BenRiach put in mothballs due to a collapse in the market, which forced many distilleries to close. And it also meant that the renowned and important buyer in Glasgow of Benriach, Pattison Ltd., went bankrupt. BenRiach continued to be used as a malthouse for the Longmorn forward to 1999, where it also closed down for its own malting. In 2012 started up again for malting, and in the day malter about 20 tons typically through 5-6 weeks in april and may. According to the Brand Ambassador Stewart Buchanan gives the new make spirit a more grainy flavour than the malt, which is to be procured from outside. And considering also, on the in the future, should make an edition only made at your own malt.
In the 1960’s was the distillery taken over by the Glenlivet Destillers and modernized, and in 1965 was so ready to open for the distillation again. In 1983 decided the owners, Chivas Brothers, that BenRiach would only produce smoky whisky for their blends, and in 1985 increased the number of boilers from two to four. In 1994 came the first single malt bottling from the BenRiach almost 100 years after it started as a distillery. It was a 10-year, and was part of the Seagrams Collection, which also contained the Longmorn, Strathisla and Glen Keith.
the period 2001 to august 2002, ran the distillery for three months annually. It was the new owners, Pernod Ricard, as selected, is to distill the only parts of the year at the three distilleries Allt a’Bhainne, Braeval and Caperdonich and BenRiach. In 2004 took over the BenRiach Distillery Company Limited with Billy Walker and south africans Geoff Bell and Wayne Keiswetter in the forefront the distillery, with the aim of producing whiskies of high quality at the distillery.
7. august 2004 started up again; and 20. september was 96 first fill bourbon casks filled with the first spirits from the new owners. A series of different single malts (‘Heart of Speyside’, 12, 16, 20-year and a smoky 10-year was launched on the market and was a big success). Bl.a. were you able to include large parts of the older, smoked whisky in the whisky, to present. The distillation still smoked whisky, typically six weeks in september, each year approx. 240.000 litres with a ppm of 35.
In 2005 came ‘BenRiach Limited Release’ in four vintages: 1966, 1970, 1978 and 1984 (peated), and later the same year came the 1968, 1972, 1975, 1976 (peated), 1979 (peated), 1986 (peated) and 1988. Today is the oldest you have in the department store from 1966. And since you do not have sold very much as a single malt through the many years, we have a relatively large stock of whisky from the 1970’s and 1980’s. Today, around a third of which goes into blends, but when the contracts expire, be extended these are not so that in the future will only produce single malts.
today owned by the us spirits group Brown-Formann, known especially Jack Daniels. But since they had no experience with the operation of the scottish distilleries, got the BenRiach reasonably free framework and decision making in relation to the operation and product development. One of the advantages was, however, that the Brown-Formann has its own large bødkeri in Kentucky, making access to bourbonfade something easier. And today is about 90% of all bourbonfadene from Jack Daniels.
working with hard water from Brunside Springs with a high mineral content. This allows multiple esters in fermentation and thus a greater fruitiness in the spirit drink that is made.
working in the distillery, with a relatively large ‘cut’ in comparison with others. It runs about 13 minutes, until the alcohol has to 60.5 – then runs to approx. two hours until the alcohol is of 63.5. Everything happens also without the use of computers with solely personal decisions.
work is also underway with the triple distillation, where the finished new make watered down to approx. 40 % and distilled again. This typically happens in december every week for a week, which is distilled (ca. 35.000 liters. This is being sold exclusively in travel retail.
It is fadsiden, where the house differs. A visit to the stocks showed a big diversity of fadtyper and sizes. With everything from the various port wine-, wine – and-sherry-casks in all its forms. That, coupled with the three different spirit drinks, which is distilled, making the opportunities great, and there are also many special editions continuously from BenRiach. So you look with confidence to the future, where the confidence that the master blender Rachel Barrie can create exciting and innovative products, is great.
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