For the “younger” expression, The Glendronach Distillery Master Blender Rachel Barrie married whiskies matured in Pedro Ximénez, Oloroso, and, for the first time, Amontillado sherry casks. “With the 30-Year-Old, we have composed a symphony from our most historic sherry cask styles,” said Barrie. “Three decades of maturation have resulted in a sublime and charming Single Malt, with generous layers of rich and complex character. It is the ultimate expression of our dedication to the art of sherry cask maturation.”

Presented in a case crafted from stained Walnut Curl Veneer, its surface is engraved with 30 facets to honor the three decades of maturation within.

The Glendronach 40-Year-Old, 2025 Edition is composed from a small number of hand-selected casks, which were married and refined over four decades in Spanish Oak Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

“I am honored to share this exceptionally distinctive Single Malt,” said Barrie. “At forty years old, it represents four decades of sherry cask refinement, polished by time to become the ultimate expression of The Glendronach. It is a privilege to be the custodian of such remarkable casks.”

This 2025 Edition is housed in a presentation box crafted from dark stained rosewood, featuring brass handles and resting on a golden plinth.

1,300 bottles of The Glendronach 30-Year-Old were made available in the US for $1,300. 970 bottles of The Glendronach 40-Year-Old 2025 Edition were made available in the US for $6,700.

The post The Glendronach Releases 30 and 40 Old Expressions appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

Crafted from one cask by Master Blender Rachel Barrie and with just four bottles available in the U.S. market, the expression is the finest portrayal of Benriach’s signature fruit-laden style.

First filled with unpeated Benriach on September 21, 1966, Bourbon cask 2383 was handpicked for its character and was destined to become the oldest remaining vintage and rarest ever example of Benriach. Following decades of maturation in Benriach’s Speyside warehouses, it emerges as the first Benriach (89 proof) to be bottled at 50 years old.

“The Benriach 1966 Cask Aged 50 Years is our ultimate treasure,” said Rachel Barrie, Master Blender at Benriach Distillery. “Sip 50 years of opulent refinement with notes of sublime honeyed dates and delicate oak spices in harmony with the lingering finesse of apple, pear and traces of grapefruit.

“This is our art – a testament to the expertise in and commitment to extraordinary cask maturation at Benriach Distillery,” she added. “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.”

Benriach 1966 Cask Aged 50 Years is held within a bespoke crystal decanter, made in Scotland by Glasstorm. Each decanter is presented in a presentation box made by master craftsman John Galvin, its design inspired by the array of eclectic casks which fill Benriach’s warehouses.

Benriach 1966 Cask Aged 50 Years retails for $25,000

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Benriach is one of only eight distilleries in Scotland that continues to practice this century-old tradition that requires the delicate hand of Benriach’s team of dedicated craftspeople.

The Third Edition of Malting Season (96 proof) is crafted from concerto barley, chosen by Master Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie. The floor malted spirit matures in virgin oak and first-fill bourbon casks giving a natural cask-imparted golden barley color.

“Every year during ‘Maltings Season’ our team hand malt select barley onsite. This historic process pays tribute to our founder, John Duff, and the slow craft of his historic maltings which we continue to this day in the pursuit of exceptional flavor,” said Stewart Buchanan, Global Brand Ambassador at Benriach. “Each new addition of Malting Season uses carefully chosen barley types and individual bottling strengths, making each annual edition one of a kind in its own right.

Benriach Malting Season Third Edition is available now for $165.

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In the 1970s, when the Speyside region was known for crafting unpeated whiskies, Benriach made the unconventional choice to distill small batches of highly peated spirit, which continues to this day. Drawing upon decades of experience, Master Blender Rachel Barrie combined some of these rare peated casks to create The Forty, one of the oldest peated malts ever to be released from a Speyside Distillery.

The Forty was previously only available as early as last October as part of a luxury bespoke non-fungible token (NFT) on Blockbar.com, the world’s first direct-to-consumer NFT marketplace for luxury wines and spirits. This is the first time consumers will be able to purchase physical bottles in stores.

“Fine bourbon casks have gradually developed exquisite notes of honeyed pomelo and lush orchard fruits to create Benriach The Forty,” said Master Blender Rachel Barrie. “Over the decades of maturation, the smoky character of peated Benriach spirit refines and mellows, transforming into ripe fruit sweetness. This intricate character is interwoven with dark notes of chocolate, rich plum and smooth walnut from port casks sourced from the Douro Valley.”

Benriach The Forty presents at 87 proof and is available as a limited release for $4,500.

The post Benriach Brings Forty Stateside appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

This twelfth batch of the expression highlights the depths of sherry cask maturation, carrying forth the legacy of distillery founder James Allardice since 1826, marrying Highland spirit to Spanish oak. The result is a richly sherried Highland Single Malt, matured slowly in fine Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucía in Spain.

The GlenDronach Distillery Master Blender Rachel Barrie composes each batch for color, complexity and finish. “The GlenDronach Cask Strength offers connoisseurs a deep insight into the distillery’s signature character, by bottling at the whisky’s natural cask strength, as was the custom before the turn of the 20th Century,” said Barrie. “Add a drop or two of water to open up the liquid and reveal a cornucopia of flavors; from rich mocha to raisin-filled fruit-cake and indulgent crème brûlée. Such is the reward of our twelfth batch of The GlenDronach Cask Strength, a richly sherried Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in fine Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks.”

As with all expressions of The GlenDronach, all of the natural colors are drawn from slow maturation in Spanish oak casks.

The GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 12 is bottled at 116 proof and is available $104.99.

The post The GlenDronach Keeps Up Cask Strength appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

The single malt distilled in 1975 is one of the oldest and rarest expressions from the hidden Highland gem, which lay silent for over two decades before its reawakening in 2008.

The whisky has been matured for 46 years in a single bourbon cask hand-selected by Master Blender Rachel Barrie (known for her work on Benriach and GlenDronach). Each bottle has been individually hand-numbered to reflect its rarity and sealed with wax. Inspired by the distillery’s coastal location on the white sandy beach of Sandend Bay on the Highland coast of Scotland, Glenglassaugh 46 is a whisky shaped by land and sea.

“It’s impossible to separate Glenglassaugh the whisky from Glenglassaugh the place,” said Master Blender Rachel Barrie. “The lush sweetness of this coastal single malt is a complete distillation of its natural surroundings. Its whole essence is created by both the visible and invisible influences of land, sea, air and spring water.”

“It has been a privilege to craft this prestigious expression and contribute to the legacy of the historic distillery,” she added. “On the nose, luscious mango, plum, cherry and black currant unite with polished oak, and red grape to bring a seductive aroma of ambergris, while the palate presents an exquisite overture of the rolling coastal waves of tropical fruit, cherry, black currant and mango on a breeze of cooling menthol and grapefruit.”

Since opening in 1875, Glenglaussaugh has cemented its position as one of the most historic and award-winning Scottish distilleries, producing a wide range of exceptionally-crafted, single cask Scotch whiskies. The limited release further illustrates the distillery’s commitment to crafting prestigious and storied expressions inspired by the coastal surroundings.

Glenglassaugh 46 is avaialble at select retail locations in the U.S. for $4,800.

The post Glenglassaugh 46 Arrives As US Exclusive appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

Benriach The Sixteen was initially retired from the portfolio in 2016, and the expression now returns with a reformulated recipe. It bridges the gap between the 12 and 21-year-old malts in the core lineup. To craft Benriach The Sixteen, Benriach spirit is three cask matured for at least 16 years in bourbon barrels, sherry and virgin oak casks.

The three-cask matured spirit was previously one of Benriach’s most heavily decorated single malts, winning a host of industry accolades including Best Speyside Single Malt at the World Whisky Awards in 2015.

“The return of Benriach The Sixteen is a very special moment for the distillery as it is one of our most treasured expressions,” said Rachel Barrie, Master Blender for Benriach. “Our signature Speyside style blossoms at 10 years old, finding depth and richer layers of orchard fruit character as it turns 16. Our core flavor components of fruit, malt, and oak become more concentrated, enriched with age at 16 years old, bringing layers of stone fruit, smooth creamy malt, wild honey, and nutty oak spice.”

Benriach The Sixteen is bottled at 86 proof and is available for $115.

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Similar to the first edition introduced in the U.S. in 2021, the second edition of Benriach Malting Season is created with a process that brings out the creamy flavor found in the distillery’s floor malted spirit. For this year’s edition, Master Blender Rachel Barrie selected Concerto barley (same as first edition), and slightly increased the barrel strength.

Benriach is one of only seven distilleries in Scotland that continues this centuries-old tradition. The floor malting method is a process requiring the skilled hand of a team of craftspeople. After being steeped in water, the barley is spread across the malting room floor and turned by hand over several days to allow for optimum germination of the barley. The malting team decides when the barley is ready to move to the kiln.

Benriach Smoke Season is a small batch release that captures one of the distillery’s seasonal production techniques where peated spirit runs through its stills. The spirit is the result of exploring 100% peated malt, batch distilled and matured in first fill bourbon barrels combined with a high proportion of charred and toasted American virgin oak casks.

While smoky whiskies are not traditionally associated with Speyside, a look back through Benriach’s archives shows that heavily peated single malts were the preferred palate of the region in the 19th century. The recipe for the second edition remains the same as the first and is made with Highland peat, which is sourced from the mainland and derived from ancient trees and heather.

“Passed from distiller to distiller throughout the generations, the floor malting process keeps a traditional part of the whisky-making process alive with Benriach,” said Benriach Master Blender Rachel Barrie. “Meanwhile Smoke Season is a special time of year in the distillery’s calendar, and these annual releases give both the whisky novice and connoisseur the opportunity to discover the uniquely rich, sweet and smoky character of our Speyside single malt. At Benriach, we never stop exploring how fruit, oak, barley and smoke aromatics intertwine and mature in our broad range of eclectic casks.”

Malting Season – 48.9% ABV, $159.99 suggested retail price (700ml)

Smoke Season – 52.8% ABV

Benriach Malting Season (97.9 proof) and Benriach Smoke Season (105.6 proof) are available in limited quantities for $159.99 and $79.99, respectively.

The post Benriach Reups Malting And Smoke Seasons appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

The GlenDronach Grandeur Batch 11 is a 28-year-old Single Malt hand-selected by Master Blender Rachel Barrie from a small number of rare Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks. This expression was matured in those casks for nearly three decades and epitomizes The GlenDronach’s sherry cask maturation.

“The GlenDronach Grandeur is an unparalleled range of the finest aromas and character from masterful Spanish oak sherry cask maturation,” said Master Blender Rachel Barrie. “A Single Malt of elegant finesse, this expression offers a symphony of sherry aromatics interwoven with dark manuka honey, roasted almond, and walnut. It is intense and full-bodied, as is the signature of The GlenDronach, with a crescendo of black cherry and espresso adorning each mouthful.”

A limited number of The GlenDronach Grandeur Batch 11 bottles will be available, with each individual bottle sealed with wax and numbered by hand, for $800.

The post GlenDronach Sweetens Things Up With Grandeur Batch 11 appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

This expression, crafted by Master Blender Rachel Barrie, marries Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks. By bottling at the whisky’s natural cask strength, as was the custom before the turn of the 20th Century, GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 10 offers a deeper insight into the distillery’s signature character.

“The GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 10 is incredibly rich and full-bodied with the full depth of sherry cask maturation at its heart,” said The GlenDronach Distillery Master Blender Rachel Barrie. “Presented at natural cask strength, it offers a cornucopia of flavor, from richly spiced fruitcake to dark cherry and ginger jam.”

The limited release showcases the historic distillery’s commitment to crafting sherried single malts, representative of the distillery’s dedication to its craft.

The GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 10 is bottled at 117 proof and is available for $99.99.

The post The GlenDronach Taps New Cask Strength Batch appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.