Benromach 12 Years Old debuts as distillery's new flagship, aged in first-fill sherry casks

Ahyoung FBC, a liquor distributor, said Wednesday it will introduce Benromach 12 Years Old, the new flagship product from Scottish single malt whisky brand Benromach.

The product was unveiled to global markets this month. Its defining feature is the use of first-fill sherry casks.

First-fill sherry casks are oak barrels that previously held sherry wine and are being used for the first time to mature Scotch whisky. Because the casks have not been used before for Scotch aging, they impart a more pronounced sherry character than refill casks, which have already gone through multiple rounds of maturation.

The whisky is bottled at 46 percent alcohol by volume. It is non-chill filtered — meaning it skips the cold filtration process that removes some compounds from the spirit — and bottled in its natural color, preserving the hue acquired during cask maturation.

Benromach was founded in Forres, Scotland, in 1898. After closing, it was acquired in 1993 by family-owned independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, which restored the distillery and reopened it in 1998.

"Benromach 12 Years Old is not simply a product with an added age statement — it is a new flagship that brings together the rich fruit and spice of first-fill sherry casks with Benromach's distinctively delicate smoky character, all in one bottle," an Ahyoung FBC official said.