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Kitchen Chat and more…
BenRiach has always been GlenDronach‘s shy sibling, but not anymore! Dr Rachel Barrie has shaken up the core range and BenRiach is getting more of the spotlight!
BenRiach is a distillery in Speyside, known for its experimental distillation and maturation ever since Billy Walker bought over the distillery in 2003. Why do I spell BenRiach with a capital R? It’s Billy Walker’s signature mark to capitalise a letter in the middle of the name, like GlenDronach or GlenAllachie. Pretty much like the late Stan Lee’s cameos in Marvel movies. Being one of the first few distilleries in Speyside to triple-distil their spirit shows how willing they are to break regional stereotypes and experiment! They even started distilling peated spirit since the 1970s!
In some whisky circles, BenRiach single malts have been known as the ‘chameleon malt’. To clarify, this means that the spirit character adapts well to various casks and cask finishes. What is cask finishing? It is taking a matured whisky in a more gentle cask, usually American white oak casks and transferring the whisky to another cask to add a layer of flavours. And just how adventurous was Billy Walker with cask-finishes? Well, just for example, if you would look into the archives, BenRiach has gone into Madeira casks, Sauternes casks, dark rum, tawny port and wine casks! The spirit worked well, fitting into various casks of different flavours, like a chameleon changing colours based on its environment. However, some people find it difficult to pin down BenRiach’s signature spirit character.
So, how has Dr Rachael Barrie changed the new range? In my opinion, I think that she played to the strengths of BenRiach’s chameleon character whilst addressing its confusing nature. That is to say, the new bottlings feature BenRiach matured in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in casks like Jamaican rum, Port, or Marsala and blends it with full-term matured Benriach to create unique flavour combinations. In my opinion, this is absolutely genius! It showcases BenRiach’s chameleon nature with cask finishes whilst securing a consistent house-style with ex-bourbon maturation. In addition, Brown-Forman, who owns several American Whiskey distilleries, is also providing BenRiach with quality ex-bourbon casks!
The new packaging is ironically a call back to the packaging of BenRiach in the 1990s, when BenRiach was owned by Seagram’s.
The Original Ten is a combination of peated and unpeated spirit. As a result, the blend produces a lightly smoky malt, which was what some Speyside whiskies were like in the past. Bottled at 43%, the label declares the casks used, namely, Bourbon casks, Sherry casks and Virgin casks. This is largely ex-bourbon dominant, so this bottling has a more fruit-forward character with a trace of smoke that becomes a little more distinct with time and a couple drops of water!
Out of the four new releases, I really enjoy this the most! I was surprised by the blending expertise that ensured the balance between peated and unpeated Single Malt. It gave me flashbacks of the Arran Smuggler’s Series. Although, I would love to see a version of this at an abv of 46% or higher someday!
The Smoky Ten is a revamp of the 10yo Curiositas, but a little funkier! This 10-year-old single malt features some peated BenRiach with a Jamaican rum cask finish, giving it more fruitiness! With the Virgin oak contributing more to the body, I would say that this would be a delightful daily dram for a peat lover!
I expected this unpeated 12yo to be pretty popular in the room for the media event, and it was. Being based on the previous sherried BenRiach 12yo bottlings, this now features a combination of full-term sherry matured single malt with some Port-cask finished stock. In my opinion, this brings about more of that bourbon-cask fruity house style. For any sherried malt lovers, this bottling would be something you might want to try!
This is a rather interesting entry, as it offers the BenRiach peated experience with a bit more European oak spice notes from the sherry and marsala casks. I like it that the core features casks from more unique fortified wines!
As a person who causally blends whiskies as a small party trick or for my own enjoyment, I can feel the expertise and mastery of the art Dr Rachel Barrie has put into this core range. And I know it’s out of her control, and I know Brown Forman does want to make BenRiach appealing for the mass market, but I do wish some of these entries were unchill-filtered so I could really get the full character of BenRiach. Maybe we need to start educating more whisky drinkers to understand the beauty of scotch mist!
If you’re interested in the new bottlings or the old unchillfiltered bottlings, do check out MaltWineAsia with this link! They have both! There are some cask strength single cask BenRiachs under S$200 as well!
Special thanks to MaltWineAsia, Brown Forman and Stewart Buchanan! Look out for the BenRiach distillery article next week!
Many of us probably have walked along Level 1 of Marine Square on our way to various destinations and noticed Malts. The whisky bar sits next to the entrance of the mall quietly, serving its own private clientele for the past couple of years. Recently, due to a change in management, the bar is now looking to welcome new customers to visit its well-stock whisky vault.
Malts @ Marine Square is an upmarket whisky bar serving a wide variety of whiskies, ranging from Scotch to Japanese. You could literally find all the regions in Scotland represented within Malts. The bar team is experienced and knowledgeable, so you know that you will be in good hands once you walk through the door.
Looking at the range available, you know that there is always something for you to try there. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or seasoned drinker, there will be something that appeal to you at Malts. We also heard that they are planning to offer up special menus that includes unique cocktails, independent bottles and even cognacs in the future, so you just gotta check them out.
Malts is located at 6 Raffles Boulevard, #01-07/08 Singapore 039594. Due to Covid-19 social distancing measures and limited space available, you are highly encouraged to make a reservation by calling 6252 8002 before heading over to check the bar out! The bar is opened Monday to Saturday from 3pm to 10.30pm.
Remember that all bars need to close at 10.30pm, so please be considerate and allow the bar staff to do their due diligences when it is time to go. We can all do our part to fight Covid-19 and look forward to resuming all activities in the near future.
William Grants & Sons did exceedingly well in showcasing creativity and the excellent whiskies they own. The latest drop from the company is an exciting project that involves a “lost gem”. Ladyburn 1966 Edition One is the first in a series of rare whisky collection from WG&S. In collaboration with famous photographer, David Bailey, the limited edition collection will be sold through the distiller’s direct-to-consumer sales channels.
Well, we assure you that no ladies were harmed in the process! Just kidding! Ladyburn was a single malt distillery that sat in the Girvan grain distillery estate from 1966 to 1975. It operated for only 9 years sadly. It was one of the most technologically advanced single malt distilleries during its time but did not survive. WG&S closed the distillery in 1975 and moved its stills to Balvenie and Glenfiddich distilleries. The only trace left of Ladyburn is the maturing casks at Girvan. The remaining casks became rare family stocks in the various warehouses where they sleep.
The Grant family is aware that the demand for ultra rare whiskies are rising, particularly in Asia. As more and more people expressed their interest in old and rare expressions, the family realised that they, too, could offer hidden gems such as the Ladyburn 1966 to keen collectors. Therefore, with the aim to share the ultra-rare whiskies that they own, they began to work on the collection which you now see.
During the virtual launch that WhiskyGeeks attended, the discussion surrounded the beauty of pairing art with whisky. They are an excellent pairing, especially when we pair unseen art done by a famous artist with rare, exceptional whisky. The result is a collection that private clients hunting for a great value preposition will be willing to shell out for.
The Ladyburn 1966 Edition One is limited to 210 bottles. It is a celebration of cultural and social change of the decade. WG&S collaborated with iconic photographer, David Bailey, to showcase a rarely seen side of his work. Each label of the collection depicts a scene of 1960s London’s East End. Bailey featured a London cityscape that has undergone extensive changes that no longer exists today in these photographs. It is also a piece of work that Bailey did before he hit global fame.
There will be 10 full Collections available, with 11 bottles per collection. These will be available only though private appointments. After the initial offering, single bottles will be released from March 2021. Each collection features 11 label designs, all hand-signed by David Bailey. 10 label designs are in black and white images while the last one is an exclusive colour image. The coloured image is available only as part of the 10 Collections of 11 bottles each. Every bottle is hand-numbered.
Ladyburn 1966 Edition One is a 54 years old whisky matured in a single sherry butt. The whisky offers dry fruit sweetness, spicy notes and intense oak tannins. The high age also results in a darker and richer whisky in terms of colour. Brian Kinsman, the current Master Blender and Malt Master shared his tasting notes during the launch. In case you are wondering, we did not taste the whisky even though it would be a privilege if we do!
The distiller responsible for the distillation was Hamish Robertson (WG&S’s 4th Master Distiller). The person who chose the single cask is, of course, Brian Kinsman as he is the one who has overseen its slow maturation process.
Jonathan Driver is the Managing Director for the division. We understood that less than 200 rare casks remain in the custodianship of the Grant family.
Beyond Ladyburn, WG&S obviously have other rare stocks. The private sales division offers clients a curated portfolio. There are exceptionally rare expressions and customisation. Its products and services include private cask bottlings, rare and collectable whiskies and limited edition collections. Private clients also have privileged access (upon request) to the distilleries at Dufftown, the warehouses and historic family homes.
Anyone who is keen to find out more about the Ladyburn 1966 Edition One Collection can contact James Ting at James.Ting@wgrant.com for prices and all related questions to shipping and delivery.
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