BenRiach Distillery

John Duff founded BenRiach in 1898 at the height of the Victorian whisky bubble, connecting the site to the nearby Longmorn Distillery by a private railway and steam locomotive. The boom was short-lived: following the collapse of Pattisons Ltd and the wider Scotch whisky crash, BenRiach ceased production shortly after 1900. The distillery lay silent for decades, though its floor maltings continued operating throughout the closure, supplying malt to Longmorn.

The distillery was reopened in 1965 by Glenlivet Distillers Ltd, restoring production after more than sixty years of dormancy. In 1978 it passed to the Seagrams organisation, remaining part of that portfolio until 2001 when Pernod Ricard acquired Chivas Brothers (Seagrams' Scotch whisky arm). Under Pernod Ricard, BenRiach operated only seasonally.

A transformative moment came in 2004 when an independent consortium led by Billy Walker, Geoff Bell, and Wayne Keiswetter purchased BenRiach and began building a single malt identity for the distillery. The team acquired GlenDronach Distillery in 2008 and Glenglassaugh Distillery in 2013, assembling a portfolio of three characterful independent distilleries. In 2016 the entire group was sold to Brown-Forman Corporation, which has since invested in the distillery's visitor infrastructure and global distribution. The floor maltings were experimentally recommissioned in 2013 but are not currently in full operation pending further safety investment.

BenRiach draws water from Burnside Springs for distillation. The distillery operates two wash stills and two spirit stills, with an annual production capacity of approximately 1.3 million litres of pure alcohol. Fermentation takes place in traditional wooden washbacks. The distillery's defining characteristic is the production of three distinct spirit styles from the same pair of stills: the standard unpeated spirit, a peated variant (using heavily peated malt), and a triple-distilled style for a lighter, more delicate result. Cask maturation is deliberately eclectic — the portfolio draws from ex-bourbon barrels, sherry butts, and a wide range of European wine casks including Marsala, Burgundy, and Sauternes.

BenRiach's three house styles span a broad flavour spectrum. The Classic unpeated style is richly fruited and multi-layered, with orchard fruit, vanilla, and gentle spice built up through eclectic cask maturation — the use of unusual European wine casks gives individual expressions a distinctive, sometimes surprising complexity. The Smoky range retains the underlying fruitiness but adds a peat-smoke dimension, producing a style that balances sweetness with earthiness. The Triple Distilled style is notably lighter in body, with a more delicate texture and refined character. Across the range, the distillery's willingness to experiment with different cask types sets BenRiach apart from many of its more conservative Speyside neighbours.

BenRiach's visitor centre, located within Warehouse 13 on the distillery grounds, opened in May 2021. The signature experience is the "Explore the Treasures of Warehouse 13" tour, offering an immersive look at the distillery's cask maturation programme and an opportunity to taste expressions direct from cask. Advance booking is recommended via the official website. An online shop and physical on-site shop are both available. Address: Longmorn, Elgin, Moray IV30 8SJ.