Benrinnes

Affectionately known as ‘The Ben’, Benrinnes distillery was founded in 1826 in Aberlour. Apart from a couple of short periods of inactivity during the 1930s and 40s, this historic Speyside distillery has between in continuous production since its foundation.

From 1974 until 2007, Benrinnes employed a unique partial triple distillation process to help promote a meaty / sulphury character to its whiskies. This switched to a more conventional wash still / spirit still process from 2007 onwards.

Although long prized by blenders (notably Johnnie Walker and J&B), Benrinnes was only officially bottled for the first time as a single malt in its own right in 1991, when United Distillers (the owners prior to Diageo) released a 15-year-old expression as part of its discontinued Flora and Fauna series. The only other official Benrinnes release has been a Rare Malts 21-year-old, released in 1996. Though rare, the Speyside single malts of Benrinnes remain a distinct treat.