🥃 BenRiach The Original Ten
The base unpeated expression from BenRiach: at least 10 years in three cask types (bourbon, sherry, new oak), 43% ABV, natural colour.
BenRiach The Original Ten is the base ten-year-old expression from the BenRiach distillery in Speyside. It is an unpeated single malt Scotch whisky at 43% ABV, aged for at least ten years. The distillery describes its style as classic, sweet and fruity, and rates its smoke level as barely perceptible.
The whisky matures in three cask types: ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and new oak, and the batches are then combined. The colour is natural, from the cask. Whisky Advocate reported in 2020 that this name replaced the former BenRiach 10 Year Old without changing the whisky itself, while The Spirits Business wrote about a renewed recipe. On the palate the distillery mentions pear, nectarine, honey and vanilla.
Why it matters to you. This is the starting point of the range: BenRiach The Smoky Ten has the same age but is peated and stronger, and BenRiach The Twelve is older with a more pronounced sherry character. If you are looking for the unpeated style of the brand, compare other expressions with this one. The WHO reminds us that no level of alcohol consumption is safe.
Facts
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 43% ABV |
|---|---|
| Minimum maturation | at least 10 years |
| Cask type | ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, new oak |
| Raw material | barley malt, unpeated |
| EU category | 2 — whisky/whiskey |
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890) (Single Malt Scotch Whisky) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 BenRiach The Original Ten → packed in → 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Sherry, 🍷 Oak barrel, 🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 BenRiach, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Speyside whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Ten, 🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Ten, 🥃 BenRiach The Twelve, 🥃 BenRiach The Twelve
Frequently asked questions
Is BenRiach The Original Ten a peated whisky?
No. The distillery rates its smoke level as barely perceptible; the peated expression in the range is The Smoky Ten.
Which casks is The Original Ten matured in?
Three types: ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and new oak casks; the batches are then combined.
What is the strength of BenRiach The Original Ten?
43% ABV, according to the distillery website and The Spirits Business.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky — Malted barley is the base of whisky: malt enzymes convert starch in the mash, and EU whisky is distilled below 94.8% vol.
- 🍷 Drunk driving — Never drive after drinking wine: alcohol slows your reactions.
- 🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel — American white oak cask of 180–200 litres used for bourbon: bourbon may only be aged in new charred casks, so used ones go to Scotch, Irish whiskey and rum.
Similar
🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Twelve · 🥃 BenRiach The Twelve · 🥃 BenRiach The Smoky Ten · 🥃 Glen Grant Arboralis · 🥃 Glen Grant 12 Year Old · 🥃 Glen Grant 10 Year Old
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Benriach Distillery: The Original Ten (43 %; three cask: bourbon, sherry, virgin oak; at least 10 years; smoke level trace; natural colour)
- Benriach Distillery: Core range (The Original Ten, The Smoky Ten, The Twelve, The Smoky Twelve, The Sixteen, The Twenty One …)
- The Spirits Business: Benriach unveils new core whisky range and redesign (10.09.2020; Original Ten 43 %, The Twelve 46 %, Smoky Ten 46 %, Smoky Twelve 46 %; casks; smoky season)
- Whisky Advocate: Benriach Gets A New Look—And New Whiskies (10.09.2020; Original Ten replaces 10 year old; Smoky Ten replaces 10 year old Curiositas; Smoky Twelve entirely new)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky (Scotland, oak up to 700 l, min. 3 years, min. 40 % ABV)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)