BenRiach

BenRiach was constructed in 1897 by John Duff, who had previously built the neighbouring distilleries Glenlossie and Longmorn, at a time when success in the industry seemed like a sure thing. Little did he know that his latest site of whisky production would only be in operation for two years, before the infamous crash of 1899 that saw a cascade of distillery closures which included BenRiach. The site wouldn't see activity again until 1964, aside from the extensive floor maltings which continued to be used for the supply of its sister distilleries. It wasn't until the distillery was purchased by Billy Walker in 2003 that luck finally seemed to turn around as the newly created BenRiach Distilling Company, which also includes Glenglassaugh and GlenDronach.

Today, industry expert and master blender Rachel Barrie has created an extensive range of offerings from BenRiach, including various woods used both in full-term maturation and finishing, as well as a more heavily peated edition. A mash tun, made from cast iron, can be charged with over five tonnes of grist, supplied in part by the distillery's own malting floor which was brought back to life in 2013. The worts going on to fill one of eight washbacks used to combine both short fermentations of 55 hours with longer fermentations of over a hundred hours. The stillhouse features two pairs of stills, though plans exist to implement limited production via triple distillation.