BenRiach has received a lot of attention over the years for their higher range age statements, both straight and peated series, as we’ve examined before. In recent years, the distillery has slimmed down the number of regular offerings, their flagship range now featuring a 10 year and this 12 year old. The BenRiach 12 Sherry Wood is sherry through and through, spending the entire maturation process before being finished with a mix of casks that once held Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherries. Whereas sherry is popular with finishing scotches, it is a rare scotch that can stand to spend the entire maturation process so.
BenRiach 17 Year Septendecim
The BenRiach distillery is not in the higher end of production capacity among Scottish distilleries, coming in a shade under 3 million liters. Yet for being mid-tier, BenRiach has several regular offerings in its flagship range along with a whole other secondary range devoted to peat. This peated range is made up of a variety of aged statement whiskies bestowed with Latin names to presumably differentiate themselves from the aged statements of the core range. Septendecim is Latin for 17.
BenRiach 16 Year
The BenRiach distillery has been through some rough times since it’s founding in 1898. Unfortunately, it has been susceptible to the booms and busts of the industry over the past century and more, closing a number of times in lean years but always coming back. Even when whisky production was halted, however, some aspect of the place still functioned, even if only to product floor maltings sold to other distilleries. It has been owned by Glenlivet, Seagrams, and the BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd. before being sold to the Brown-Forman Corporation in 2016. Starting in the 60s, the distillery has expanded and evolved with each transition and each challenge. For most of its history, it was used as a component in blends and was not released as a BenRiach malt until 1994. Along with this BenRiach 16, the core line is comprised of 10 and 20 year offerings, along with a ranges featuring peat, wood finishes, and premium expressions.