Earlier this summer we tipped you off to the news that Benriach, the celebrated Speyside producer, would be releasing its oldest and most exclusive expression to date: a precious bottling of single malt collected from a single cask that was originally filled all the way back in the 1960s. Now that it’s available on shelves, we’ve scored a taste of the juice and can happily report that it’s high on the list of best whiskies we’ve sipped all year. Here’s what it tastes like and how you can hope to score a bottle of the $25,000 liquid.
The Benriach 50 is an entirely unpeated malt that was laid into barrel on September 21st, 1966. It spent the entirety of its maturation in bourbon cask 2383. Over the ensuing decades, the auspicious cooperage sat patiently in the distillery’s Speyside warehouse imbuing all sorts of rich and over-ripened fruit into the whiskey within.
These specific characteristics aren’t at all out of the ordinary for the mark. Indeed, when it comes to house style, Benriach’s unpeated whiskies are admired for their rich fruitiness. But there’s something almost supernaturally synergistic about the way this particular cask enhanced its charge. The hand-in-glove between barrel and distillate is remarkable.
Its exceptionality begins with the pour. As soon as the 89-proof malt hits the dram, it lifts notes of honeyed dates and candied cherries into the air. A velvety mouthfeel keeps these elements firmly coated to the palate while simultaneously unveiling a bittersweet sort of grapefruit zest. It’s a vivacious sip that slowly retreats in a lengthy finish of more candied fruit—covered in oak spice.
You get the sense while sipping it that it was plucked from the barrel at just the right moment. Any added time in the wood could have threatened to unbalance the whole endeavor. And knowing that master blender Rachel Barrie was the one calling the shots here, it’s impossible to think that any of this merely occurred by chance.
As one of the premiere palates in the scotch industry, Barrie oversees whisky making operations at Benriach. Though she’s only been in charge there since 2017, her expertise has already ensured that this 126-year-old distillery remains a relevant powerhouse in the modern era. And this might just be her magnum opus.
“The Benriach 1966 Cask Aged 50 Years is our ultimate treasure,” she contends. “Our ability to nurture flavor has been informed by our heritage in maturing an eclectic array of casks from across the world and we have a creative philosophy and exploratory approach towards whisky making. Over many decades, this has granted an expert understanding of what makes the exceptional cask. This is our art.”
And Barrie’s hardly the only artist involved in its creation. The half-century-old Benriach is proudly presented within a graceful crystal decanter, crafted by the acclaimed Scottish glass studio, Glasstorm. The decanter rests in a box designed by master craftsman John Galvin, who was here inspired by the diverse array of casks populating Benriach’s dunnage warehouses.
Now for the part that’s tough to swallow: how to get one home. Benriach 50 initially launched in Asia, back in May 2024. It has since rolled out across the globe, with just four total bottles landing in US markets this summer. In other words, you’re probably not going to simply chance by it at your local liquor store. Your best bet is reaching out to Benriach directly and try to connect with its private client team.
In the meantime, might we suggest some Benriach 25? It exerts many of those aforementioned house signatures, in spades. And benefits from time spent in a combination of sherry casks, bourbon barrels, virgin oak casks and Madeira wine casks. At just $360 a bottle, it’s one of the more affordable well-aged single malts on shelves today. Its $25,000 older sibling…Not so much.
Benriach 50 is a modern masterpiece, a half century in the making.