Benrinnes 13 Years Old 2005 Cask #307046 (James Eadie)

Benrinnes 13 Years Old 2005 Cask #307046 (James Eadie) is a 13 year old single cask Benrinnes from the Speyside distillery, drawn from a single ex-European oak cask with an ex-Madeira finish, distilled during the partial triple distillation era at Benrinnes. This release was bottled by James Eadie, the revived Burton-on-Trent blending house originally established in 1854 and brought back by Rupert Patrick. James Eadie selects single casks alongside its Trade Mark X blended whisky. The release was distilled in 2005 and bottled in 2019, with a small outturn of 311 bottles, for the Dutch market, at 56.1% ABV.

Benrinnes was founded in 1826 by Peter MacKenzie at the foot of Ben Rinnes hill in Speyside, with the current site rebuilt after a flood destroyed the original in 1829. The Edward family sold the distillery to John Dewar in 1922, and it has remained in the Diageo group lineage since. From 1974 to 2007 Benrinnes ran an unusual partial triple distillation system across six stills (two wash, two intermediate, two spirit), with the feints splitting and recombining in a way that has been compared to a two-and-a-half pass distillation. Vapours from all stills are condensed through worm tubs kept at very cold temperatures, restricting copper contact and locking in the meaty, sulphury new make character that has made Benrinnes a stylistic neighbour of Mortlach, Dailuaine and Cragganmore.

European oak (Quercus robur) is denser and more tannic than American white oak, with a smaller proportion of whisky lactones and a higher load of structural tannins and ellagic acid. The cask contributes leather, polished wood and a darker tannic structure to the Benrinnes alongside the meaty new make profile. Typical tasting notes include chocolate, dried fruit, fresh fruit, honey and vanilla.