BenRiach Smoke Season Double Cask Single Speyside Malt Whisky 70 cl 52,8%

BenRiach makes peated whisky a few weeks a year, and some of that peated malt runs heavier than the rest. Smoke Season is built from the most heavily peated malt the house holds, bottled at a strength that does not let the smoke slip away.

The expert's description

BenRiach Smoke Season Double Cask is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky without an age statement, matured in bourbon casks and virgin oak and bottled at 52.8 %.

The bottling was assembled by Master Blender Rachel Barrie and uses the most heavily peated malt at the distillery. Speyside is not known for smoke, and BenRiach is one of the few distilleries in the region producing peated spirit as a fixed part of the year.

The two cask types pull in different directions. The bourbon wood gives vanilla and bright sweetness, while virgin oak, meaning fresh oak that has never held anything before, lays spice and a dry wood structure on top. Together they hold the smoke in place without muting it.

Tasting notes

Nose

Powerful peat smoke with burnt sugar, vanilla and a note of toasted wood.

Palate

Dense and smoky with caramel, black pepper and spiced fresh oak. The strength carries the smoke all the way without letting it turn dry.

Finish

Long and warm with lingering smoke, wood and a last touch of sweetness.

Specifications

Name: BenRiach Smoke Season Double Cask
Distillery: BenRiach
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
ABV: 52,8 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks and virgin oak
Edition: Smoke Season Double Cask

Flavour profile

Smoky · Spiced · Full bodied · Oak driven · Sweet

Did you know?

Virgin oak is fresh wood that has never held wine, sherry or bourbon. The casks give quickly and forcefully, so they are rarely used alone in Scotch whisky, where they typically form a smaller part of a composition.

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Frequently asked questions about BenRiach Smoke Season

How smoky is it?

It is the most heavily peated bottling from the distillery, and the smoke is clear from the first sip. It still sits at the dry, earthy end rather than the medicinal and maritime one familiar from Islay.

Does BenRiach normally make peated whisky?

Yes, but only in defined periods each year. The distillery works with three spirits, unpeated, peated and triple distilled, which is unusual for a single site.

What is virgin oak?

Fresh wood that has never held anything before. It gives quickly and forcefully with vanilla, coconut and spice, and it is typically used as a smaller part of a cask composition rather than on its own.

Is there peated whisky in Speyside?

It is rare, but it exists. The region is known for light, floral malts, and the distilleries making peated whisky there do so as the exception rather than the rule.

Should you add water?

Try it neat first in a whisky glass. At 52.8 per cent it carries the smoke well on its own, but a couple of drops of water can sweeten it and pull the caramel further forward.

What does it pair with?

Grilled meat or a strong cheese. The smoke and the fresh oak have the body to handle food with an edge, where a lighter whisky would simply disappear.