Benrinnes

The Edward family sold Benrinnes to John Dewar & Sons in 1922.^1,2,3 In 1925 the Dewar firm joined the Distillers Company Limited, and Benrinnes became part of it.^1,2,7 Most of today's buildings date from a rebuild in 1956.^1,3,4 A few nineteenth-century buildings survive, including a cask store and the distillery cottages.^1,3,4 In 1964 concrete Saladin boxes, a form of maltings of French origin, replaced the floor maltings.^1,3,4 In 1966 the still house grew from three to six stills: two wash stills, each flanked by two low wines stills.^1,2,4 Low wines are the spirit from the first distillation.^1,2,4 In 1970 all the stills were converted to internal heating.² In 1984 the distillery stopped making its own malt and began buying it in.^1,2,3 Guinness took over the Distillers Company in 1986.^7,8 In 1987 the Distillers Company was renamed United Distillers.^1,2,7 In 1997 Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo.^1,5 In 1998 United Distillers merged with International Distillers & Vintners to form United Distillers & Vintners, the spirits division of Diageo.^2,7

From 1974 to 2007, weak low wines were redistilled in a middle still, and the stronger part joined the wash still's strongest spirit in the spirit still.^1,2,9 For years this was used to help promote a meaty, sulphury new spirit; Diageo's Douglas Murray said the meatiness came from the intermediate still.^1,2,9

Whiskypedia lists its malt as unpeated, though Whisky Magazine reported light levels of peating.^1,9 It has 8 wooden washbacks.¹ Fermentation lasts at least 60 hours.^1,9 It has two wash stills and four spirit stills.^1,2 It distils twice.¹ The stills are plain in shape and heated by steam.¹ The spirit is cooled in worm tubs, cast-iron tanks behind the still house, which are kept very cold to add weight and meatiness.^1,2,4 Its spirit has a meaty quality, and demand from blenders has kept it from becoming a front-line single malt.^1,3,9 Difford's Guide names Johnnie Walker among the blends that use it, and Diageo's Douglas Murray said meatiness appears to help bind whiskies together.^1,3,9 Its water comes from the Scurran and Rowantree Burns.^1,2

Sources

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