Situated just below Ben Rinnes(2775ft), the highest point on Speyside, the current distillery is located on its second site. The original site was at Lynn of Ruthrie very close to Aberlour Distillery looking over the Spey Valley.
Founded in 1826 by Peter McKenzie a local farmer it was sadly destroyed only a few years later in 1829 by a flood known as the Muckle Spate brought about by an infamous storm at that time.
In its chequered past the distillery was seriously damaged in 1896 by fire it was rebuilt by Alexander Edward. The site was totally rebuilt in 1950 and has expanded slowly since that time.
By 1922 the site was bought by John Dewar & Sons and became part of The Distillers Company Ltd(DCL). The future for the rest of the 20th century saw Benrinnes become a feeder distillery for many blends including J&B, Johnnie Walker and Crawfords 3-star though moving into the 1990’s Benrinnes found its feet as a single malt as part of the Flora & Fauna range. From 1974 until 2007 the distillery ran a partial triple distillation system.
Taking its water from nearby Ben Rinnes, it is beautifully soft with just a hint of mineral content after filtering through the local granite seams of Ben Rinnes.
A very under-rated whisky but equally one of exceptional quality, it just doesn’t have the marketing spend behind it that many of its illustrious neighbours do. For those in the know however it is very highly regarded
TASTING NOTES
Colour - Melted butter, rich gold.
Nose - Key Lime Pie, ripe bananas, creamy sweetness, fruit scones, buttery, zesty
Palate - Arabica coffee, drying, oaky, sharp, pencil shavings
Finish - short to medium, crisp
