ralfy review 936 – Antiquary 15yo Blended @ 43%vol:

BENROMACH LAUNCHES SECOND ANNUAL RELEASE OF

 40 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT FOLLOWING ‘BEST IN SHOW’ HONOUR 

Benromach Distillery in Speyside has announced it will be launching its second annual release of Benromach 40 Year Old on Tuesday 19 July, with just over 1,000 bottles of this rare, single malt available to whisky enthusiasts globally.

The launch follows a prestigious award win for Benromach 40 Year Old at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2022, where it won ‘Best in Show’.

Bottled at a cask strength of 57.6% and natural colour, Benromach 40 Year Old, 2022 release, spent over four decades maturing in sherry casks. The result is an exquisite single malt and the distillery’s oldest annual release.

With hints of roasted hazelnuts, baked apple, dark chocolate and mature oak, this newly released Benromach 40 Year Old builds on the rich ginger and stewed fruit aromas displayed in its first annual batch release.

Keith Cruickshank, Distillery Manager at Benromach, said: “This rare whisky truly is something special and reflects the nuance and character of the casks it has been matured in. Fragrant cinnamon and ginger spices complement flavours of Seville oranges, sweet Morello cherries, stewed berries and a hint of roasted hazelnut.  This is combined with baked apple, liquorice, subtle black pepper and rich dark chocolate notes, before finishing with forest fruits and mature oak.”

The single malt is displayed in a striking black stained solid oak wooden box with copper- coloured detailing and printed metal plaques. The dark amber single malt is presented in the bespoke Benromach bottle which features a heavily embossed and gold foiled label to complete the quality feel.

Benromach 40 Year Old 2022 is priced at £2,000. Prices in international markets may vary due to local taxes and import duties.

For more information, please visit: www.benromach.com/aged-40-years_2022

Tasting Notes: 

Benromach 40 Year Old 2022 is natural in colour, non-chill filtered and is bottled at cask strength – 57.6% ABV.

• • Colour: Dark Amber
  • Aromas: Fragrant cinnamon and ginger spices with Seville orange. Stewed red berries develop with a hint of roasted hazelnut.
  • Palate: Sweet Morello cherry flavours combine with baked apple and liquorice Rich dark chocolate notes leading to fruitcake and subtle black pepper.
  • Finish: Full with forest fruits and mature oak.
  • Maturation: Sherry Casks
  • RRP: £2,000

About Benromach Distillery

Originally built in 1898, Benromach Distillery was brought back to life when the Urquhart family realised a lifelong dream to own a distillery in 1993. The distillery was extensively re-equipped over a five-year period before it was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Rothesay in 1998.

In reopening Benromach Distillery, the Urquhart family wanted to create a single malt whisky that has a classic Speyside character: beautifully balanced with a light touch of smoke.

Benromach Distillery is located on the outskirts of the ancient market town of Forres. A five-star visitor centre is open to the public throughout the year for tours and tastings. Benromach Distillery is a member of the world-famous Malt Whisky Trail.

For more information, visit: www.benromach.com

Capedonich in the 1990s, with Glen Grant in the background

Caperdonich – a lost Speysider with a smoky secret

The history of whisky in Scotland is littered with the names of closed distilleries. While some of them have risen in fame since their closing, some have continued in obscurity, and a few have done so undeservedly. One that falls most definitely into that final category is Glen Grant #2, aka Caperdonich.

Caperdonich: The Beginnings

Caperdonich, then called Glen Grant #2, was built in 1898 in the town of Rothes – the heart of Speyside. It was constructed by Major James Grant, the third-generation owner of Glen Grant, at a convenient site across the road from his existing distillery. Its purpose was simple: to provide more of the hugely popular Glen Grant spirit that was in great demand around the world.

Unfortunately, the timing was terrible. 1898 was also the year of the Pattison crash, a financial crisis due in part to speculation across the industry (often attributed solely to the eponymous brothers, who were merely part of a wider problem), which led to a huge drop in demand for whisky across Scotland.

Glen Grant #2 soldiered on for a few years, but by 1902 was very much surplus to requirements and closed down. An inauspicious start for the distillery, closing after a mere four years of production.

Caperdonich: A New Hope

By 1965, the Scotch whisky market had changed beyond recognition. The days of the Pattisons and distillery closures were gone and a booming worldwide market was demanding enormous amounts of whisky. Glen Grant was riding high across Europe – especially in Italy where it had become the number one single malt, an honour it still holds today. Its owners needed more spirit to meet demand so turned their eyes to the building over the road: a distillery originally created to make more Glen Grant and ready to do the same once again. Production resumed.

In 1977 Glen Grant #2 was finally given its own identity and was renamed Caperdonich, a mere 80 years after it started making whisky. In the same year, Caperdonich and its elder sibling were sold to drinks giant Seagram’s, becoming an important element in the creation of the company’s iconic blends, including Chivas Regal.

Seagram’s: A Cautionary Tale

When it comes to whisky companies not to emulate, Seagram’s comes close to the top of the list. With a history going back to the founding of the Waterloo distillery in Ontario, Canada in 1857, it grew over the following century to be one of the biggest drinks companies in the world, taking the top spot by the 1990s.

However, the company began to diversify its interests and a foray into the world of TV, film and music was a step too far. In 2001, the drinks part of the company was sold off to Diageo and Pernod Ricard.

Among the pieces of the once giant Seagram’s empire acquired by Pernod was the Chivas Group, including both Glen Grant and Caperdonich. However, Caperdonich was, yet again, surplus to requirements and closed in 2002.

In an ironic turn, the distillery site was sold in 2010 to still-maker Forsyth’s, who tore it down to build a new workshop – they needed more space to make distillery equipment due to the boom in the whisky industry and the building of new distilleries around the world.

Smoky Speysiders

While in recent years we’ve seen a a lot of breaking down of the stylistic barriers between Scotch whisky regions – Islay whiskies aren’t always smoky, Lowland whiskies aren’t always light and floral, and Speysiders are very much an eclectic bunch – it’s far from a modern phenomenon. Large whisky companies – like Seagrams – always need more smoky whisky for their blended releases, and when the more traditional producers can’t make enough, they turn to other parts of their portfolio. Caperdonich, created to make unpeated, light and fruity Glen Grant style whisky, is one of those distilleries – back before it closed, it made peated whisky.

This style wasn’t created to be released on its own, but the folks at Chivas Brothers – the bit of Pernod Ricard that looks after its Scotch whiskies – have not only found some casks of smoky Caperdonich, but released them as part of the company’s Secret Speyside range.

Learn more about the Secret Speyside whiskies >

Caperdonich 18 Year Old Peated

The Secret Speyside collection was launched in 2017 as a set of 15 whiskies from Longmorn, Glen Keith, Braes of Glenlivet (aka Braeval) and Caperdonich. Initially exclusive to travel retail, it was promised that they would eventually make it to the wider market. I got to try the peated Caperdonich 18 at Heathrow shortly after release, but I never expected it to see it on our shelves.

I was not only wrong, but Caperdonich 18 Year Old Peated is our Malt of the Month for July 2022 and is currently £110 – £10 off.

Buy Caperdonich 18 Year Old >

Nose: Orchard fruit with a touch of gravelly minerality and smoke – smoky chimneys in a cold, stony country village. Gentle char notes develop, with waxy apples and fragrant wood following: sandalwood and a touch of musky incense. Fruit builds: pears, apricots and sherbet lemons.

Palate: Soft and earthy peat smoke with some cracked stone minerality following. Dark liquorice and anise notes build underneath, with fruity dark chocolate and gentle spice on top. A dark and zingy mix of chocolate brownies, lemon Lockets and earthy peat are joined by meadow flowers and barley sugar notes, all with a background of fragrant smoke. Tarry touches develop with some time in the glass.

Finish: Earthy spice hangs around, with a quick flash of menthol fading away to leave chocolate and barrel char.

This does exactly what you’d expect from the name – it’s a smoky Speysider. It takes the more traditional Speyside character of soft fruit and spice, and adds a layer of rich smoke. The 18 years in wood have helped the peat calm down and bolster the fruit, but it is still no shrinking violet – layers of peat run through the palate. A great dram for smoke fans looking for something a bit more elegant.

You can find the peated 18 year old and more whiskies from the distillery on The Whisky Exchange’s Caperdonich Single Malt Scotch Whisky page.

Ben Nevis 2012 9YO TyndrumWhisky Exclusive

Initially matured in a bourbon hogshead before spending 3 and a half years in a Premier-Cru Classé cask.

Cask #1683. Distilled 2012 Aged for 9 years. Non chill filtered and natural colour. One of only 324 bottles available worldwide.

Tasting notes: Nose: rich malt, blossom, fruity. Palate: Chocolate, currants, spice. Finish: Long, creamy malt, floral. oil.

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Dalmore 30 Years

1991 vintage bourbon barrel bottled May 2022 yielding 225 bottles. Natural Dalmore! Dalmore 30 Year Old 1991 vintage Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Single bourbon barrel bottled May 2022 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the Old & Rare Platinum series. 225 numbered bottles. This light gold whisky has a nose of strawberries, apples, and lychee fruit. The palate is soft and sweet with notes of berries, bananas, and butterscotch. The finish is long, with gentle spice.

Buy Dalmore 30yo »

£891.37

Alexander Mathieson established Dalmore Distillery in 1839 on the northern shore of the Cromarty Firth near Alness in Scotland’s Highland whisky region. When Alfred Barnard visited in 1886 Dalmore was operating with four stills then in 1966 this was doubled to eight. The stills at Dalmore are unique, the wash stills have flat tops and water jackets encircle the necks of the four spirit stills. In addition to the official distillery range that includes the Dalmore 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old,and 18 Year Old, this whisky is also released by independent bottlers as single casks.

2000 Port Cask

Limited Edition | 70cl | 54.1% ABV | 20 Year Old

The 2000 Port Cask is a non chill-filtered Irish Single Malt, bottled at natural cask strength. This rare UK exclusive bottling comes with a Complimentary Branded Causeway Glass while stocks last.

This unparalleled Single Malt has spent its entire life in rare first-fill Ruby Port casks. After an incredible twenty years patiently maturing, the Malt is imbued with luscious red fruit flavours. The Port Wine cask has added waves of sweet, caramelised toffee notes, balanced by a hint of sweet chilli.

£274.95

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The Causeway Collection

Just a stone’s throw from the Old Bushmills distillery, the Giant’s Causeway is an elemental and enigmatic place full of wonder and legend. Like the Causeway itself, the expressions in the Causeway Collection are forged in countless but meaningful layers.

Traditionally, distillers finish Whiskey for six months or so. Bushmills however has introduced deeper waves of flavour, by allowing The Causeway Collection bottlings to finish in special casks for an unprecedented length of time. This creates unique flavours every bit as dramatic as the County Antrim coastline.

https://youtu.be/e-aUBcBX4JA

Bushmills is such a well known name, with well known staus across the globe, that sometimes ignorance from certain parts of the whisky community tends to run rife in the idea of commonality.

When I tried that 29YO Madeira Cask last year, my mind was blown apart by how good it was. But, where does trying to access whisky like that come from? Well the ability to release bottles like that to a baying fandom of whisky drinkers is all built upon regular sales of regular stocks, and personally, I believe that Bushmills 10YO is one of the best value single malts that exists on the planet.

Whether you’re into Irish whiskey, or not. Bushmills are responsible for such a huge chunk of the Irish whiskey world, that in my opinion, this bottle deserves some attention.

Landmark moment for The Cairn as first spirit produced

It was a landmark moment at the new distillery at Grantown-on-Spey as the first spirit flowed from the stills.

The Distillery and Executive Teams were joined by members of the Urquhart family, the owners of Gordon & MacPhail, for the first spirit run following completion of the commissioning phase of the distilling equipment.

Ewen Mackintosh, Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail said: “This was a very special moment – a moment to mark the efforts of all the people involved in the project over the last few years and a moment to signify the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Gordon & MacPhail as the company celebrates over 127 years of trading.”

“Later in the year, when the visitor experience is finished and the landscaping completed, we intend to invite all colleagues from Gordon & MacPhail, and the many other people who have helped us to this point to experience The Cairn Distillery for themselves ahead of opening to the public”, Ewen added.

Commenting on the new-make spirit, Mhairi Winters, Distillery Manager at The Cairn said: “Over the last weeks we have been conducting test distillations, tweaking the process to create the desired character.  The result is a complex, medium to full bodied new-make spirit, with a sweet, malty base and vibrant, fresh fruit top notes.

The spirit was then transported off site for the first filling of the casks. And the iconic Cask No 1 was signed by Mhairi Winters, The Cairn Distillery Manager, Operations Director Stuart Urquhart and Keith Cruickshank, Distillery Manager at Benromach Distillery, Gordon & MacPhail’s first distillery.

But it will be a long wait for those who want to sample The Cairn for themselves as the first bottles will not be available to purchase until the mid-2030s.

Sitting on the banks of the River Spey at Craggan, just outside Grantown, The Cairn is a second distillery for renowned whisky experts Gordon & MacPhail, the Moray based family firm.

Planning permission for the distillery was granted in 2019 and work started on site once COVID restrictions on construction were lifted in July 2020.

Opening to the public later this year, The Cairn Distillery has a spectacular view, looking across the River Spey towards the Cairngorms.  It will offer a selection of immersive visitor experiences, whisky tastings, and carefully selected gifts.  Visitors will also be able to eat @ The Gathering and experience the finest produce sourced from across Scotland. It has been designed to sit within this world class setting with features including the recently installed “green” sedum roof.

Gordon & MacPhail has built strong relationships with its local communities in Forres and Elgin and is determined to continue that approach in Grantown on Spey. The distillery will become a major tourist destination on the outskirts of the town and act as a gateway to Speyside.

Notes

Gordon & MacPhail is a family-owned premium spirits company based in Elgin, Scotland. Owner of Scotch whisky distilleries, Benromach and The Cairn, Gordon & MacPhail is also a Scotch whisky maturation expert, the owner of Scottish Gin brand, Red Door and the operator of a wholesale business in the United Kingdom selling premium Scotch whiskies and spirits, along with a high-quality retail outlet.

The company owns Benromach Distillery located in Forres in Moray.  Benromach Single Malt Scotch Whisky is handcrafted using traditional methods by a small team of distillers using the finest Scottish barley and the purest spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. The multi award-winning portfolio of single malts is enjoyed by whisky drinkers worldwide.

The company launched Red Door in the summer of 2018. Created at Benromach Distillery, this award winning, small batch Scottish gin now forms a strategic part of the company’s product portfolio.

Work commenced in July 2020 on The Cairn, the company’s second distillery, overlooking the River Spey towards the Cairngorms.  The new site will add further distillation capacity and brand ownership to the company’s asset base and is a key part of the plans to continue building a long-term sustainable business.  A high-quality visitor experience offering tours and tastings will also attract visitors from around the world.

Since the founding of the business in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail has sent casks to Scotch whisky distilleries throughout Scotland to be filled with new-make spirit, before being left to mature for many years either at the distillery or in their bonded warehouses in Elgin.  The Gordon & MacPhail portfolio offers some of the world’s rarest and most sought-after Single Malt Scotch Whiskies to discerning whisky drinkers globally.

The company’s wholesale business serves customers throughout the United Kingdom selling Benromach Single Malt, Red Door gin and Gordon & MacPhail whiskies into the on and off trade. The business also exclusively represents a number of ‘distributor’ brands and stocks premium whiskies and spirits.

The retail shop in Elgin remains the ‘spiritual home’ of the business, 127 years after it was first established in 1895.  The shop is home to a large selection of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies and is a destination for many whisky aficionados from around the world.

Two stunning House of Hazelwood Collections

The first is The Legacy Collection: unique flavour profiles, ghost distilleries and key moments in Scotch production history. Alongside is The Charles Gordon Collection: the most precious of their stocks consisting of rare liquids laid down over half a century ago. It is a pleasure to stock these special bottles.

The Legacy Collection

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The Charles Gordon Collection

GLEN GRANT DISTILLERY

28 Year Old 1994 Old & Rare

Glen Grant 28 Year Old 1994 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Single refill barrel bottled May 2022 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the Old & Rare Platinum series. 179 bottles. This light gold whisky has a summery nose of candy floss, fruit salad, and toffee chews. The palate is sweet but gentle with notes of strawberries, pears, and garden flowers. The finish is long, with lingering sweetness.

£374.80

Established in 1840 by brothers James and John Grant, the business prospered and in 1897 Glen Grant No. 2 Distillery was established across the road in order to meet the high demand for Glen Grant whiskey. During the late nineteenth century a Victorian garden was laid out in the valley behind the distillery and is now open to distillery visitors. Glen Grant is a Speyside malt whiskey distillery situated in Rothes equipped with eight stills and an on-site bottling plant. Gordon & MacPhail has released some rare vintage single malts dating back to the 1950s.