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Benriach debuts 40YO whiskies
Brown-Forman-owned Speyside distillery Benriach has released two 40-year-old single malts, including one exclusive to global travel retail.
The new Benriach whiskies are The Forty and the travel retail-exclusive Forty Octave Cask Matured.
Created using ‘rare’ peated casks, The Forty (43.5% ABV) is said to be one of the oldest peated malts to be released from a Speyside distillery.
From June, The Forty will be available as an ongoing release in specialist retailers in select global markets, priced at RRP £3,200 (US$4,084). It was previously only available as a non-fungible token (NFT) on BlockBar.
The Forty offers a ‘richly fruity’ nose with notes of sweet orange, plum, honey pomelo, dark chocolate-coated berries, and flavours of orchard fruits, red apple and white peach.
Rachel Barrie, master blender for Benriach, said: “Fine Bourbon casks have gradually developed exquisite notes of honeyed pomelo and lush orchard fruits to create Benriach The Forty.
“Over the decades of maturation, the smoky character of peated Benriach spirit refines and mellows, transforming into ripe fruit sweetness. This intricate character is interwoven with dark notes of chocolate, rich plum and smooth walnut from Port casks sourced from the Douro Valley.”
Meanwhile, The Forty Octave Cask Matured was matured in small octave casks, which are an eighth of the size of a regular cask. There are only 135 bottles of the expression available in select international airports, priced at RRP £3,800 (US$4,850).
The 51.5% ABV bottling has an aroma of sweet plum, cherry and honey-glazed red apple, and flavours of ripe plum, pear, dark berries, cedarwood and silken oak.
Barrie added: “Crafted from the staves of refill and first-fill American oak Bourbon casks, the octaves casks used for Benriach The Forty Octave Cask Matured create a sublime interplay of indulgent orchard and dark fruits, with a flawless silken oak finish.”
Earlier this month, Brown-Forman relaunched its Highland single malt brand Glenglassaugh with a new trio of expressions and a coastal-inspired design.