Benriach’s New 40-Year-Old Single Malt Is an Uncommonly Peaty Speyside Whisky
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Robb Report may receive an affiliate commission.
Speyside is a region of Scotland that is not really known for its peated whisky. But Benriach is one distillery that decided to use peated malt back in the 1970s, and this new 40-year-old single malt is a liquid time capsule of that momentous decision.
More from Robb Report
This Indian Distillery Aged Its New Single Malt in Botanical-Seasoned Barrels
This Ultra-Rare Whisky From 1948 Is Expected to Fetch $100,000 at Auction
Here's a Unique Father's Day Idea for the Dad Who Loves Watches and Whisky
Speyside has some of the best known whisky distilleries—Glenfiddich, The Glenlivet, Glen Grant, The Macallan, and Aberlour are just a few of the roughly 50 that call this small region home. Benriach is certainly not as well known as all of these, although its profile has been raised since Brown Forman, the parent company of Jack Daniel’s, acquired the distillery in 2016. While none of those aforementioned operations make peated whisky, with perhaps a few one-off expressions here and there, Benriach has bucked the Speyside trend and been making smoky whisky for nearly half a century, a style more closely associated with Islay distilleries like Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg.
From 1900 (shortly after its founding) to 1965, Benriach was not actually making any whisky—instead, it was used as a floor malting facility, producing malted barley for use by other distilleries. A few years later, it started making whisky using peated barley, the key ingredient in every smoky scotch you’ve ever tried. It wasn’t until 1994 that the first Benriach single malt was released, and while most of the malted barley is now purchased from large malting houses, the distillery continues to incorporate peated barley in its Smoke Season expression and as a component in other releases like the Smoky Ten and Smoky Twelve.
Which brings us to The Forty, a four-decade-old single malt whisky that was originally released in 2022 as part of an NFT via Blockbar. Thankfully, what we have here is a real, fungible, tangible, drinkable bottle, which you can physically purchase in stores or online (for a premium). The whisky was matured in bourbon and port casks, and bottled at 43.5 percent ABV. “Fine bourbon casks have gradually developed exquisite notes of honeyed pomelo and lush orchard fruits to create Benriach The Forty,” said master blender Rachel Barrie in a statement (she also oversees The GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh). “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.”
Benriach The Forty is coming to physical and online retailers this month (SRP $4,500), so keep checking your favorite whisky merchant if you want to score a bottle. In the meantime, you can peruse the entire Benriach lineup at websites like ReserveBar to stock your home bar with peated and unpeated whisky.
Best of Robb Report
Why a Heritage Turkey Is the Best Thanksgiving Bird—and How to Get One
The 10 Best Wines to Pair With Steak, From Cabernet to Malbec
Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
