Scotland, Speyside: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Benrinnes

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Benrinnes Distillery
Aberlour,
Banffshire AB38 9WN
+44 1340 871 215
Owner :United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo)
Creation date1826

The first distillery has been build in 1826 near the Whitehouse farm, which still exists nowadays. The distillery has been destroyed in 1829 by a flood coming from the Ben Rinnes mountain, and rebuild near another farm not far away from the first one. This farm was called Lyne of Rutherie, and the distillery was first named after this farm. Peter McKenzie was the first licence holder of this distillery.
In 1842, the distillery was taken over by John Innes, and in 1845 by William Smith who bankrupted in 1864. John Innes renamed the distillery in "Benrinnes". After the bankruptcy the distillery has been acquired by Davie Edward who passed it on to his son Alexander. Alexander Edwards will later found Craigellachie and Aultmore, and be a shareholder of Oban .
A fire destroyed the still house and surrounding buildings in 1996.
Alexander Edward founded the Benrinnes-Glenlivet company.
In 1922, the distillery has been taken over by John Dewar's & Sons, who were absorbed by DCL which is currently part of UDV.
Benrinnes has been closed in 1932-1933 and again between 1943 and 1945.
The distillery has been linked to the electrical network in 1951.
A new distillery has been build in 1955 in order to increase the production. The malting floors are replaced by a saladin-box in 1964. The saladin box has been removed in 1984, as the distillery stopped producing its own malt. In 1966 the number of stills has been doubled, and a new manufacturing process is introduced in 1978. The Benrinnes distillery is the only one of the area to use the triple distillation process.
The feints and low wines of the second distillation (in the first spirit still) are distilled apart in the second spirit still. Usually they are part of the next wash distillation. The low wines and feints of this third distillation are distilled again during the next distillation in the second spirit still.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

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 Benrinnes: Official bottlings

Benrinnes
Fauna & Flora
15 years

Age
 15 years
Alcohol
 43%
Bottler
 Official
Particularity
 Triple distillation
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Benrinnes

Colour : old gold with copper glints.
Nose : solid, powerful. Sugared hints of candied citrus fruits (tangerine, lemon) and heady perfumed flowers (honeysuckle, peony).
Palate : smooth, nearly juicy Marmalade, cooked red fruits (cherry, strawberry)
FInish : lingering, sweet. Fruity (prune, cherry plum). Black chocolate. Cedar. A very fine single malt.
(la Maison du Whisky)

The sherryish nose is pleasantly complex. In the palate, some malted after taste, mixed with sherry hints goes though quantity of tastes, amongst which a kind of prunes jam (quetsch). A rather pleasant and complex bottle. The finish is too short, according to me, and reveals the same cooked prune hints on a slightly perfumed malted background. A very nice bottle.

A nicely balanced nose, where sherry tops the bill along beside fruit (prune) fragrances and something I cannot define precisely, but which adds complexity and pleasure to this whisky. In the palate, a very nice complexity where a rather strong prune taste is present, with hints of malt on the background, in a whole clearly marked by sherry. A nice lingering finish, where quetsche is very present.

The nose is clear and a nice smell of ripe prunes, macerated in sherry dominates some fresh leather hints. In the palate, some nice fruity notes, ripe prunes and slightly acid touches. A very nice finish, marked by sherry, and this prune impression is still present. A very nice bottle.
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 Independent bottlings: Benrinnes

Benrinnes
Best Casks of Scotland
12 years
1992

Age
 12 years
Alcohol
 43%
Bottler
 Jean Boyer
Cask
 Sherry
Particularity
 Triple distillation
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Benrinnes Jean Boyer

The Benrinnes distillery uses a triple distillation process which produces a silky and very pure whisky with exotic fruit, honey and biscuits notes.
This bottling has been matured in sherry casks, which gave him a chocolate flavoured and nutty fragrance, mixing well with the whisky own aromas.
The sherry cask contained 520 litres and has been distilled on March 3, 1992 and bottled in September 2004.
The production is about 750 bottles.
(note of the producer)

The nose develops some strange but rather pleasant mix of earth and meat juice. Something between wood and sherry, not easy to describe, but not unique to this bottle. In the palate, a nice complexity, with clear woody fragrances, nut and chocolate and some clear malty notes. Quite a nice finish as well, recalling the nutty tones.
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Benrinnes
The Coopers Choice
12 years
1989
Age
 12 years
Alcohol
 43%
Bottler
 The Vintage Malt Whisky Company
=25 euros=25 euros
Benrinnes 1989
A nose where acid hints mix with meat smells combined to cut grass on a background of plum jam. In the mouth, some flatness enhanced by some acid hints developing on malt and then a kind of metallic taste. Quite a strange feeling emerging from this whisky. A rather long finish, but without clear dominant feelings, but the memory of a drank whisky hanging. It deserves certainly another tasting, as it seems to need some more time to reveal all its qualities.

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Benrinnes
Old Malt Cask
1990-2004
Age
 14 years
Alcoholl
 50%
Bottler
 Douglas Laing
Cask
 Sherry
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Benrinnes 14
A very amazing nose, between the malt and the plastic smell of inflatable baloons. Some smoke on the background as well. The special and not really inviting nose is completely in contradiction with the palate, extraordinary complex, with nice citrus fruit notes, hints of haddock or hering, while the malty ansd smoky notes remain on the background together with the plastic sensation described earlier. Anyway, a very particular whisky, excellent, but with few in common with more "usual" whiskies. The finish is on the same register as the mouth was, long with hints somewhere between acidity and smoke, rubber and malt. In short, far from an usual bottle, but this for the greatest pleasure of the papilla's.

Malt and citrus fruits at the first nose, developing quickly on pleasant fruity notes with just a touch of smoke. In the palate, quite an acid impression developing slowly on sweeter notes without losing this touch of smoke. The mouth is very interesting, even if it is rather difficult to describe, as it is quite unusual. The acid notes come back for the finish to disappear again after a few moments. This whisky is rather difficult to define but is clearly different from most other ones. I like it.
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Benrinnes
Reserve, Cask 3444
1975-2006

Age
 31 years
Alcohol
 55.5%
Bottler
 Gordon & MacPhail
Cask
 First fill Sherry
Particularity
 Triple distillation
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
Benrinnes Reserve 1975
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Benrinnes: samples

Benrinnes
Gifted Stills
2001

Age
 5 years
Alcoholl
 43%
Bottler
 Jean Boyer
The nose seems to be rather typical for a Benrinnes, with difficult to describe smells, meat and undergrowth hings. In the palate, the taste is first quite discrete, and the mouth followes perfectly the nose. Same impressions, same difficulties to describe them. The taste is even special as the nose was. The finish is cast in the same mould, with the same obsessing notes than in the palate or at the first nosing. This is definitely not my favourite.

The very first nose is quite unpleasant, as it is made from yeast and young leather. Fortunately it develops soon on meaty and malty hints which I prefer even if this is not my favourite combination of smells.
The palate is more interesting even if it remains quite discrete. Nice fruity notes above the yeast and malt impressions which remain on the background. The mouth is pleasantly sweet.
The finish is quite long and remains dominated by this strange impression of leather/yeast which could come from the triple distillation which is used by the distillery.
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Speyside

Speyside Map

The Speyside area is situated at the North of the Cairngorm mountain and goes to the Moray firth. It is delimited by two rivers: the Findhorn at the West side and the Deveron on the East side.
The area is named after the river Spey. Most of the distilleries take their water in one of its affluents; the Fiddich, the Livet or the Avon.
About sixty distilleries from Speyside are described on this site.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information
about the Speyside area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please
click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

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