BenRiach The Thirty 30 years old Single Speyside Malt Whisky 70 cl 46%

Mahogany in the glass, and no colouring has been added. Thirty years in four different cask types has pulled the whisky so dark that you can see the age long before you smell it.

The expert's description

BenRiach The Thirty 30 years is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky matured in sherry casks, bourbon casks, virgin oak and port casks and bottled at 46 %.

The bottling is a special release in the age ladder of the house and uses four cask types like the other older bottles. The port casks are what separate it from the Twenty Five, laying dark fruit and a light sweetness over the sherry matured core.

Thirty years gives a concentration that cannot be rushed. The colour is mahogany, the texture is thick, and the palate reads deep rather than fresh. It is the sort of whisky where the oak takes up a lot of room without the fruit having disappeared.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dark fruit, chocolate, raisin and honey.

Palate

Concentrated and deep with plum, smoked walnut, cocoa and baked orange.

Finish

Long and warm with smoked honey and dark fruit that hangs on.

Specifications

Name: BenRiach The Thirty 30 år
Distillery: BenRiach
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
Age: 30 years
ABV: 46 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry casks, bourbon casks, virgin oak and port casks
Edition: The Thirty 30 år
EAN no.: 5060716140044

Flavour profile

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

Investment potential

High. Thirty year old whisky from a distillery that for long periods sold everything into blends exists in very limited quantity. Official bottlings in that age class are among the most sought after on the collector market.

Did you know?

Under Scottish law nothing may be added to whisky except water and caramel colouring. When a thirty year old whisky like this reads mahogany without added colour, all of that colour comes from the casks and from time.

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Frequently asked questions about BenRiach The Thirty 30 år

What separates The Thirty from The Twenty Five?

Five years and one cask type. Twenty Five uses Madeira while Thirty uses port casks. The extra time gives more concentration, a darker colour and a heavier texture.

Is the colour natural?

Yes. No caramel colouring has been added, so the mahogany tone comes purely from the casks and the thirty years.

Is thirty years too much?

Not here. The casks were chosen so the oak does not take over, and there is still fruit left underneath the wood. With the wrong cask choice thirty years can easily end up dry and bitter.

How do you get the most out of it?

Pour a modest measure into a whisky glass, let it stand a quarter of an hour and nose it several times before tasting. At this age the whisky shifts markedly in the glass.

Is it peated?

No, but there is a note of smoked walnut and smoked honey on the palate. It comes from the casks and from the age, not from peated malt.

Why is old BenRiach rare?

Because for decades the distillery sent virtually all its production into blends and only began releasing single malt under its own name in 2004. Far fewer old casks remain than at comparable houses in the Speyside.