BenRiach 12 years old Heart Of Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 40%

BenRiach ran for two years after opening in 1898 and then stood silent for sixty-five more. The floor maltings sat untouched the whole way through, and when the distillery finally started again in 1965 the plant was much as it had been built.

The expert's description

BenRiach 12 years Heart Of Speyside is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in oak casks and bottled at 40 %.

Heart Of Speyside was the entry range of the distillery during the years under Billy Walker, who took over BenRiach in 2004 with a consortium and made the house a name in its own right after decades as a supplier to blends. The range was phased out when Brown-Forman bought the distillery in 2016 and reshaped the portfolio.

BenRiach sits near Elgin in Speyside and is one of very few Scottish distilleries to have kept its floor maltings. The house works with three different spirits, unpeated, peated and triple distilled, which is unusual for a single site.

Tasting notes

Nose

Flower honey, ripe pear and a touch of vanilla. Behind it sit pale oak and cereal.

Palate

Soft and malty with honey, apple and a lightly spiced edge. Forty per cent keeps it approachable the whole way.

Finish

Medium, dry and malty with a last breath of oak.

Specifications

Name: BenRiach 12 år Heart Of Speyside
Distillery: BenRiach
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oak casks
Edition: Heart Of Speyside
EAN no.: 5060088790076

Flavour profile

Soft · Honeyed · Fruity · Malty · Lightly spiced

Investment potential

Medium. Heart Of Speyside was phased out after the 2016 change of ownership and is no longer made. Bottlings from the Billy Walker period have drawn increasing collector attention, since that is when BenRiach became a brand in its own right.

Did you know?

BenRiach was closed from 1900 to 1965, but the floor maltings kept running for part of that time to supply malt to neighbouring Longmorn. That is why the plant still exists today.

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Frequently asked questions about BenRiach 12 years Heart Of Speyside

What was Heart Of Speyside?

The BenRiach entry range from the mid 2000s, launched under Billy Walker. It existed both without an age statement and as this twelve year old, and it was phased out after the 2016 change of ownership.

Can you still buy it?

Not from the distillery. The range is out of production, and bottles only turn up at retailers with older stock or on the secondary market.

Is it peated?

No. BenRiach also makes peated whisky under names such as Curiositas and Smoky Ten, but Heart Of Speyside sits at the unpeated end with honey and fruit.

What does it mean that the distillery has its own floor maltings?

That part of the barley is malted on the distillery own floors rather than bought in ready malted. Only a handful of Scottish distilleries have kept the facility, and it allows them to control both smoke level and malt character themselves.

Who is Billy Walker?

The man who bought BenRiach in 2004 and later GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh as well. He built the three distilleries into brands in their own right and runs GlenAllachie today.

How does BenRiach compare with other Speyside distilleries?

A little fuller and maltier than the light, floral Speyside standard. There is honey and fruit, but also a cereal core that gives the whisky more body than many of its neighbours.