BenRiach Single Malt Whisky

The BenRiach distillery is located in between the rural villages of Rothes and Elgin, in the heart of Speyside, in the North-East of Scotland. The Speyside region is highly regarded as one of the finest regions for producing high quality Scotch whisky and BenRiach is no exception. Built in 1898 by John Duff, the BenRiach distillery has been producing top quality Scotch whisky for over a century.
 

On 8th April 2015 BenRiach Distillery announced “a significant milestone in the history of the distillery… A momentous high point for the award-winning Elgin distillery [among many other awards, it recently won the accolade 2015 Global Whisky Distiller of the Year], since the whisky is the first core range expression to be produced predominantly from spirit distilled under The BenRiach Distillery Company’s eleven-year ownership”. Indeed in April 2004, the distillery was bought by three entrepreneurs led by Billy Walker, one of the best-respected men in the Scotch whisky industry, with over forty years of experience as a Master Blender and senior manager. Having joined Ballantine’s in 1971, he went off to become Inver House’s Master Blender, then was part of the team which effected the management buy-out of Burn Stewart Distillers in 1988, becoming the company’s Production Director.
Ben Riach [it was two words in those days!] had been part of The Glenlivet Group, which was bought by the Seagram Company in 1977, when the licence was transferred to Chivas Brothers. Pernod Ricard bought Seagram’s whisky distilleries and brands in 2001 and mothballed Ben Riach. Since the distillery has been owned by Mr.Walker and his colleagues, the brand has gone from strength – made possible by, in Billy’s words, “the great inventory we acquired from Chivas”. Numerous expressions have been released, including some using peated malt and some finished in ex-wine casks; the core range includes the delicious 12 Years Old, sherrywood-matured expression. 
 

Back in 2004, Billy Walker said he had ‘modest but robust plans’ to “revitalise the distillery and target new markets, taking BenRiach to specialist outlets around the globe”. The brand is now available in over forty countries worldwide with other emerging markets entering the negotiation stage. He has gone on to acquire and revitalise GlenDronach Distillery and, in 2013, Glenglassaugh Distillery. Earlier this year, the London Stock Exchange Group included BenRiach and GlenDronach Distilleries Company Limited in its list of '1000 Companies to Inspire Britain'.
 

BenRiach sticks to traditional methods in the production of its whisky such as traditional floor malting, complete with distinctive pagoda style chimneys, where they can produce a heavily peated, malt barley – giving a number of their whisky a wonderfully smoky and rich character.