This whisky forms the entry point to the revamped core domestic range of single malts from the Speyside distillery of Benriach. The range is designed to showcase Benriach’s unique eclectic breadth of casks sourced from around the world, which come from close to 20 different origins, and the three different spirit styles that are produced their – classic Speyside, peated Speyside (which is only produced for 5-6 weeks each year) and triple distilled (produced for just 1-2 weeks each year). The range was created by Dr. Rachel Barrie, the Master Blender for Benriach.
This Original Ten (referring to the whisky’s maturation age of 10 years) is made from unpeated malted barley that is matured in ex-Bourbon, ex-Oloroso sherry, and virgin oak casks. It is bottled at 43% ABV with the recommended price for this bottle being £38. The whisky has a sibling – The Smoky Ten. This features the distillery’s rare peated spirit at 10 years of age with maturation in virgin American oak, ex-bourbon and ex-Jamaican rum casks. It retails at the higher price of £42.
In addition to the two 10 year olds, the range also features two 12 year old expressions – The Twelve and The Smoky Twelve – which again consist of classic spirit and peated spirit respectively. Then at the higher end there are three age statements released at 21, 25 and 30 years of age. All feature a marriage of at least three cask types, and in some cases four.
The Benriach distillery was founded in 1898 by John Duff and is located just south of Elgin. Following a long period of closure Benriach re-opened in the mid-1960s and became well known for producing high quality single malt to be used in blending. The practice of producing peated malt began in 1972 and has been maintained each year since. This short period is called the ‘smoke season’. Triple distillation was first practiced in the late-1990s. The current owners are Brown-Forman and the annual capacity is just over one million litres.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is golden yellow and the nose is packed full of green apple and crisp pear aromas. These leap out of the glass and begin to mingle with further aromas of fudge, toffee and honeycomb. Then come hints of sultana and candied orange peel with a pinch of warming oak spice and vanilla. Late cinnamon bark adds further depth.
On the palate this whisky feels extremely soft and creamy. The fudge and toffee from the nose drive the flavour forwards with the aid of a note of butterscotch. The apple and pear is never far away and becomes more influencial with time – it feels more like stewed apple and poached pear now, rather than the fresher fruit on the nose. Underneath are honey and golden syrup with baking spices and dried fruits coming though later – think of cinnamon, all-spice, sultana and candied orange peel. A background earthy savoury note rounds things off nicely.
The finish is of decent length and remains soft and creamy. The sweetness and fruity elements slowly fade to leave warming baking and oak spices to linger and give a drying freshness.
What’s The Verdict?
The Original Ten is incredibly fresh on the nose, like being in an orchard, and then so creamy and soft on the palate but full of flavour. This is a fabulous whisky to kick off the Benriach core range, and one that is an improvement on the previous incarnation, which was a slightly bland 10 years old.
It is also well priced for the quality on show. Few distilleries can offer two such different whiskies with the same age statement – The Original Ten is a classic example of what many expect a Speyside single malt to be, whilst The Smoky Ten offers up Speyside with a peaty twist. Check them out, they are both well worth it.
