Benrinnes distillery is one of those obscure medium-sized Speyside distilleries with a widely respected distillate that is well represented by the independents but largely ignored by its owners, Diageo.

A robust and muscular whisky, Benrinnes' Speyside single malt has long been favoured by blenders as a backbone-giving component in blended whisky recipes, but the distillery's whisky is also popular with malt whisky drinkers for its oilier, more beefy slant on the common Speyside character.

Benrinnes is a naturally oily, muscular and meaty distillate, one that is enhanced greatly by active sherry wood - the weight and stamina of the spirit binds to the fruity power of sherry exceptionally well.