The BenRiach Distillery Company’s Managing Director Billy Walker announced “an iconic moment in the history of BenRiach and GlenDronach”, earlier this month when the two award-winning distilleries released their oldest whiskies.
BenRiach Distillery, located in Speyside, has released “Vestige”, a 46 year-old single malt Scotch whisky, which was distilled and filled to cask on the 21st of September, 1966. While GlenDronach Distillery, which was acquired by The BenRiach Distillery Company in 2008, released “Recherché”, a 44 year-old Highland single malt, which was distilled and filled to cask on September 24th, 1968.
When BenRiach became independent in 2004, the new owners inherited a handful of casks from 1966 – the oldest stock in the distillery’s warehouses. By the end of 2012, just two of those casks remained, and Billy Walker has selected one of those casks, BenRiach 1966 cask #2381, to be bottled as “Vestige” a ‘classic Speyside’ in style which has been bottled at cask strength (44.1% vol). The cask generated just 62 bottles, which will be sold worldwide at a price of £3999.99 in the UK.
GlenDronach’s ’68 stock represents the oldest whisky in GlenDronach’s vast warehouses. The name “Recherché” has been chosen because it means “carefully sought-out”. This is a limited release of just 632 bottles, which will be available worldwide. GlenDronach “Recherché” will retail in the UK at £2749.99.
Billy Walker commented, “A combination of barley, water, excellent oak and the passage of time have combined to create liquid history. These special bottlings, which represent our oldest mature stock, are in impeccable condition, and are testament to the enormous attention to detail applied by the current and the previous custodians of our distilleries. Together, “Vestige” and “Recherché” are a celebration of the phenomenal craft of two distilleries over a period spanning more than four decades.”
Glendronach has also just released Batch 8 of its single cask bottlings. Selected by Master Blender Billy Walker, this latest batch was filled in May and all eight expressions are available now.
The eight, ranging from 42 to 10 years old, share GlenDronach’s typically luxurious, richly-sherried and fruity characteristics, with waves of delightful eucalyptus, plums, damsons, sweet chocolate, almonds… even toffee-drenched raisins and red chilli!