BenRiach Malting Season First Edition Single Speyside Malt Whisky 70 cl 48,7%

The first edition of anything is the one people remember. Malting Season started here, with barley from the distillery own floor maltings and a decision to make whisky the slow way again, long after the rest of the trade had stopped.

The expert's description

BenRiach Malting Season First Edition is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky without an age statement, bottled at 48.7 %.

The range is made purely from barley malted on the distillery own floor maltings in Elgin. The facility is one of very few left in Scotland and can only handle a limited quantity of barley at a time, which puts a hard ceiling on how much whisky the range can ever yield.

The first edition marks the start of the range and is also the one everything after it is measured against. The bottling strength of 48.7 % was chosen to keep the texture intact, and the cereal character of the floor malted barley reads clearly through the cask.

Tasting notes

Nose

Baked bread, honey and pale cereal with a note of dried apple.

Palate

Creamy and malty with vanilla, flower honey and a lightly nutty middle. The cereal takes up clear room without turning dry.

Finish

Long and warm with malt, oak and a last touch of honeyed sweetness.

Specifications

Name: BenRiach Malting Season First Edition
Distillery: BenRiach
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
ABV: 48,7 %
Size: 70 CL
Edition: Malting Season First Edition
EAN no.: 5060716140068

Flavour profile

Malty · Honeyed · Creamy · Nutty · Dry

Investment potential

High. The first edition in a series traditionally holds the strongest position on the collector market, and Malting Season is at the same time limited by how much barley the distillery can malt on its own floors. The combination makes it hard to replace.

Did you know?

Only around a handful of Scottish distilleries still run a working floor maltings, and most of them cover only a small share of their own needs. The rest buy malt from large commercial maltings that supply the whole trade.

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Frequently asked questions about BenRiach Malting Season First Edition

What makes the First Edition special?

It is the opening release in the Malting Season range and therefore the starting point for everything since. First editions are typically made in smaller numbers, because nobody knows in advance how large the demand will be.

Why is there no age statement?

Because the release is assembled from casks of different ages. The focus lies on the malt and the floor malting rather than on a number, and an age statement would have to follow the youngest cask in the mix.

What does floor malting do for the flavour?

The process is slower and less uniform than industrial malting, which typically gives a clearer cereal character. You taste more barley and less standardised sweetness than in an ordinary Speyside malt.

Is it peated?

No. The malt was dried without peat, so the profile builds on cereal, honey and cask rather than on smoke.

How does it differ from the Second Edition?

The second edition was distilled in 2013 and matured nine years in first fill bourbon casks with a stated age. The first edition carries no age statement and a shade lower strength, and the two are made from barley from different malting seasons.

How is it best drunk?

Neat in a whisky glass at room temperature, ideally with a couple of minutes to rest. At 48.7 per cent it needs no water, but a few drops can pull the cereal further forward.