Speyside distillery Benriach has announced the expansion of its luxury portfolio with the stateside arrival of Benriach The Forty.
In the 1970s, when the Speyside region was known for crafting unpeated whiskies, Benriach made the choice to distill small batches of highly peated spirit, which continues to this day. Drawing upon decades of experience, Master Blender Rachel Barrie combined some of these peated casks to create The Forty, among the oldest peated malts ever released from a Speyside distillery.
The Forty was previously only available as early as October 2022 as part of a luxury bespoke non-fungible token (NFT) on Blockbar.com. This is the first time consumers will be able to purchase physical bottles in stores.
On the nose is rich fruit with the scent of sweet orange, plum and honey pomelo, the company reports, plus dark chocolate coated berries layered on walnut and cherry liqueur. The palate brings orchard fruits with morello cherry, nectarine, stewed red apple and white peach, before a finish of walnut and kumquat.
Casks used in this release were bourbon and port.
“Fine bourbon casks have gradually developed exquisite notes of honeyed pomelo and lush orchard fruits to create Benriach The Forty,” says Barrie. “Over the decades of maturation, the smoky character of peated Benriach spirit refines and mellows, transforming into ripe fruit sweetness. This intricate character is interwoven with dark notes of chocolate, rich plum and smooth walnut from port casks sourced from the Douro Valley.”
Benriach The Forty comes bottled at 43.5% ABV. It will be available as a limited release in specialist retailers in select markets across the U.S. for a suggested retail price of $4,500 per 750-ml. bottle.
This follows the recent launch of Benriach The Sixteen Scotch whisky.
