Official tasting notes:

Nose: barbecued banana and roasted apple coated in dark chocolate and treacle toffee with warm spiced oak.

Palate: smoked applewood and toasted eucalyptus becoming peppercorn and dried banana, leaving a spicy liquorice and fennel finish.

This Speyside single malt is part of the much anticipated BenRiach single cask batch release. Distilled in September 1985 from peated barley and matured in a virgin oak cask for 33 years, this expression has been bottled in 2019 at a natural strength of 48.1% abv. Only 229 bottles have been produced.

The nose is sweet and smoky with caramel, oak-spiced orange, smoked mango and lemon peel. The palate brings sweet lemon bursts, honey, and grapefruit before guava, passion fruit and lemongrass emerge in the finish.

Nose: butterscotch and roasted apples with crisp white pepper, a gentle earthy oak and peat.

Palate: warm, toasted oak sweetness with toffee apples and nectarines amidst a building heather smoke.

Finish: peat and sweet Scottish tablet lingering with stewed barley.

A superb tasting set from Benriach! Enjoy a selection of some of the best single malts. This gift pack includes three 5cl bottles of The Smoky Ten, The Original Ten, and The Twelve.

The Smoky Ten is the perfect introduction to the smokier side of Benriach. Crafted with a combination of peated and unpeated spirit, this expression is three cask matured in bourbon barrels, Jamaican rum casks and toasted virgin oak casks. Bottled at a strength of 46% abv, this 10-year-old Speyside single malt has a rich, smoky intensity seldom seen in Speyside.

Ripe orchard fruit syrup and smoked honey glaze on the nose. The palate opens with a rich smoked applewood, before maple honey and spiced pear emerge. The finish has lingering fruit notes and a smoked oak influence.

The Original Ten is the flagship expression of Benriach Speyside single malt. Matured in sherry casks, bourbon barrels and virgin oak casks, this expression is married together under the expert care of Master Blender, Rachel Barrie. Inspired by the very first single malt released by Benriach in 1994, this 10-year-old has a smooth and multi-layered profile that is the perfect introduction to the Benriach range.

The nose is rich in orchard fruits, with honey and warm toasted oak notes. The fruits continue in the palate with pear and nectarine atop a malty sweetness. The finish has almonds and spiced vanilla lingering on.

Benriach The Twelve is a Speyside single malt that has been matured in a combination of sherry casks, bourbon barrels and port pipes, all married together under the expert care of Master Blender Rachel Barrie. Part of the refreshed core line-up from Benriach, this new recipe for the 12-year-old expression brings intensified notes of baked fruits and a rich smoothness.

The nose has rich notes of maple honey and cocoa. The palate brings baked fruits, maraschino cherries, orange oil and hazelnuts before sultanas and spiced mocha in the long lasting finish.

An essential set for any whisky fan!

Part of the Flora & Fauna series from Diageo, this 15-year-old Speyside single malt is partially triple-distilled at Benrinnes distillery in Speyside. Bottled at 43% abv, this is the only official bottling to come from the distillery, which is situated at the foot of Ben Rinnes mountain.

The nose is floral with fresh dough and crisp highland toffee. The palate is sweet and rounded with a wisp of peat, before malty biscuit notes in the finish.

From the world-acclaimed Connoisseurs Choice range comes this Benrinnes single malt whisky, independently bottled by Gordon & MacPhail. Distilled in 1990, this expression has spent three decades in a first-fill Sherry hogshead before being bottled in November 2020 at 55.1% abv without chill filtration or added colouring. Highly limited, just 227 bottles have been produced. 

The nose has spices of cinnamon and ginger that complement rich notes of fruitcake, hazelnut and cocoa powder. Impressive notes of dark chocolate, stewed fruits and rich toffee follow on the palate, alongside raspberry and black pepper. The finish is nutty with toasted oak. 

Now for something special. Filled in 1977 from a single refill American bourbon hogshead that had lain untouched for 39 years, the run was limited to just 225 bottles. Free from chill filtration, this expression was bottled in 2017 at a cask strength of 49.3% abv. This single cask was initially a distillery exclusive, but the remaining few bottles have been released to some lucky retailers. This expression comes packaged alongside a hardback book detailing the process, a pleasant read that accompanies rich notes of overripe banana, fresh lemon, and toasted oak.

An impressive new release, exclusive to The Whisky Shop. Distilled in June 2012, this expression spent its life maturing in a first fill sherry hogshead cask before being bottled in September 2021 at 59.4% abv. There are only 328 bottles available of this sensational single malt.

“A rich amber hue (the cask is a first-fill ex-sherry hogshead); moderate beading. Initial prickle disguises the aroma, then notes of soft caramel emerge, supported first by a faintly vinous note, then Cappuccino coffee. The taste is sweet throughout with a chilli-pepper finish at natural strength.” – Charlie Maclean

Matured for 35 years in first fill sherry casks at Gordon & MacPhail’s Benromach distillery in Speyside, this expression is a beautiful golden amber in colour, and at 43% abv, it is a satisfyingly complex whisky.The nose offers orange marmalade and sherry with kiwi, grapefruit and cinnamon notes. The palate is sweet with honey, fruitcake, banana and melon developing into smooth white chocolate and soft menthol, while the finish is long, smooth and fruity.

This 2009 vintage from Benromach in Forres is the first batched release in the new series of cask strength expressions from the distillery. Founded in 1898 and now owned by respected bottler Gordon & MacPhail, Benromach is known as ‘the classic Speyside single malt Scotch whisky’ and this expression gives a glimpse at the full impact of the whisky fresh from the cask. Bottled at 57.2% abv in 2020.

The nose is richly sherried with sweet notes of stewed apple and pear, vanilla pod and toasted malt. The palate brings cracked black pepper and juicy fruits, with strawberry, raspberry, orange peel and notes of milk chocolate. The finish is smooth and creamy with a whisp of smoke.

Please note: image is for illustration purposes only. This is the 2009 expression.