Two new distinctive flavour-forward Single Malt whiskies, The Benriach Twelve and The Smoky Twelve, are now available in South Africa from the Benriach Distillery. Located in Speyside in Scotland, Benriach is Known for its long-standing tradition of distilling classic, peated and triple distilled whisky and a vast eclectic cask inventory sourced from around the world. The new single malts have been artistically crafted by Master Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie and her team. A new look for the Benriach brand coincides with the launch of these two new exciting whisky offerings, inspired by the distillery’s creative heritage.
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Displaying the diversity and versatility of Benriach’s orchard fruit-laden style, Benriach says this new range spans the full spectrum of whisky flavour. The new packaging takes inspiration from the first Benriach Single Malt whisky released over two decades ago, with the portfolio’s colour palette inspired by Speyside’s natural environment in which the distillery sits.
According to Dr Rachel Barrie, the new range perfectly marries tradition and innovation that is central to Benriach’s story. Inspired by the 1994 bottling of the Original Ten, with its fruit-laden complexity and smooth, rounded taste, the new range re-imagines the 1898 origins of Benriach, brought to life in the 21st century through fusing distilling styles with extraordinary casks. The new Benriach range is for those open to new possibilities, building on a wealth of experience and tradition.
The Twelve balances richly sherried malt with added layers of fruit complexity, reaching a pinnacle at twelve years old. The new Smoky Twelve explores the sweet smokiness of Benriach, enriched through innovative combinations of rum, virgin oak and marsala casks interwoven with more traditional bourbon and sherry.
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The Twelve – Sherry rich maturation for depth & smoothness
The Twelve remains a sherry rich single malt whisky, building on the legacy of Benriach expressions released at this age using predominantly sherry cask maturation. The addition of port cask maturation to this new recipe has intensified notes of baked fruits.
To make Benriach Twelve, Benriach unpeated spirit is three cask matured for at least twelve years in sherry casks, bourbon barrels and port casks. The whisky from each cask is then expertly married together to create a smooth, sherry-rich single malt layered with baked fruit, maple honey and cocoa, perfectly balanced with a lingering sultana and spiced mocha finish.
Nose – Rich maple honey, cocoa and baked forest fruit.
Palate – maraschino cherry, baked orange and hazelnut, with a lingering sultana and spiced mocha finish.
The Smoky Twelve – Creamy smoothness with aromatic layers of smoke
In the early 1970s, Benriach broke convention in Speyside by returning to distilling batches of whisky in the old, 19th century style, using malted barley smoked with wood rich Highland peat which imparts distinctly sweet and smoky notes into Benriach peated whiskies.
Benriach The Smoky Twelve has been crafted from a combination of unpeated and peated spirit and three cask matured for at least twelve years in bourbon barrels, sherry casks and Marsala wine casks. The whisky from each cask is then expertly married together to create a smooth, creamy single malt, layered with ripened fruit, aromatic smoky sweetness and warming oak spice, lingering into a cocoa and orange smoke finish, all in perfect balance.
Nose – smoked vanilla, charred orange and toasted almond.
Palate – dark chocolate, fruit peel, brown sugar and smoked oak, lingering into a cocoa and orange smoked finish with a rich smoke level.
Old favourites, updated
What’s more, the core range features a new recipe for Benriach’s richly sherried twelve-year-old whisky, including port and bourbon casks interwoven for seamless smooth complexity.
The extraordinarily sweet smoky whisky distilled in the distillery’s smoke season features in the new Benriach 12 and Smoky Twelve Year Old expressions. Both have their own flavour palette, created by maturing in bespoke oak casks, interwoven with Benriach’s hallmark sweet smoke.
Both are now available in participating retailers from R499 for Benriach 12 and from R699 for Benriach Smoky 12.
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