Benriach The Forty 40 years old Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 43,5%

Forty years in cask is longer than most distilleries dare wait. The oak turns dominant, the alcohol drops, and every further year is a gamble that the whisky still has something to say when someone finally opens the valve.

The expert's description

BenRiach The Forty 40 years is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky matured in refill bourbon casks and refill port casks and bottled at 43.5 % without chill filtration and without added colour.

The bottling is the flagship of the house, assembled by Master Blender Rachel Barrie. Refill casks were a deliberate choice, since first fill wood would have run the whisky over long before the forty years were up. The port casks lay a layer of dark fruit over the bourbon matured core.

The 43.5 per cent is not a choice but a result. After forty years in a Scottish warehouse the strength falls on its own, and the whisky is bottled close to what the cask itself delivers.

Tasting notes

Nose

Deep dark fruit, plum and old oak with honey and a hint of tobacco.

Palate

Concentrated and velvety with dried fruit, cocoa and spiced oak. After forty years there is still fruit left, which is rarer than it sounds.

Finish

Very long and dry with dark fruit, oak and a warm note of spice.

Specifications

Name: BenRiach The Forty 40 år
Distillery: BenRiach
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
Age: 40 years
ABV: 43,5 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill bourbon casks and refill port casks
Edition: The Forty 40 år

Flavour profile

Dark fruit · Full bodied · Oak driven · Spiced · Honeyed

Investment potential

High. Forty year old bottlings exist in very small quantities, and stocks of Scotch whisky from the 1980s shrink every year. Official flagship releases in that age bracket hold an established position on the collector market.

Did you know?

Around two per cent of a cask evaporates each year in Scotland. Over forty years that means well over half the original volume has vanished through the wood long before anyone got to taste it.

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Frequently asked questions about BenRiach The Forty 40 år

Why is the strength only 43.5 per cent?

Because alcohol evaporates slowly through the wood of the cask. After forty years the strength has fallen on its own, and the whisky is bottled close to the natural cask strength with no water added.

Why refill casks and not fresh ones?

Because a first fill cask would have taken the whisky over long before. With maturation this long the wood has to give slowly, otherwise the result turns dry and woody rather than fruity.

Is it ready to drink now?

Yes. Whisky does not develop further in the bottle, so it is as it should be. Pour it into a whisky glass and give it ten minutes before tasting.

What do port casks do to whisky?

They give dark fruit, a light sweetness and often a reddish tone in the colour. Port is stronger and more fruit sweet than sherry, and the casks are typically used in smaller proportions.

How does forty year old Speyside taste?

Deeper and more concentrated than anything younger, but also more marked by oak. The fresh fruit is gone, replaced by dried fruit, cocoa and spice.

Is it for drinking or for keeping?

Both work. It is ready now, but it is also one of the bottlings collectors watch, precisely because whisky of this age grows steadily harder to source.