THE BENRIACH Distillery Company has today (22 March 2013) completed the acquisition of the Glenglassaugh whisky distillery in Banffshire.

Glenglassaugh, one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries dating back to 1875, has been purchased from its owners, the Amsterdam-based Lumiere Holdings, for an undisclosed sum. It produces a range of single malt whiskies and currently has the capacity to produce 1.1 million litres of whisky a year.

Edinburgh-headquartered BenRiach is led by industry veteran and master blender Billy Walker and his partners, South African whisky entrepreneurs Geoff Bell and Wayne Kieswetter.

An upbeat Mr Walker said: “Five years ago, our acquisition of GlenDronach surprised and delighted whisky connoisseurs around the world and today we are confident that our latest intriguing acquisition will have the same positive effect.

“We’re really delighted to buy Glenglassaugh, a renowned Highland single malt with a rich and distinguished heritage. It’s an excellent complementary fit with our existing BenRiach and GlenDronach brands. Part of its attraction to us is that it isn’t too large for our portfolio but its potential in contributing to the group certainly is.

“It’s our intention to bring this iconic distillery fully back to life by giving it the investment, commitment and care it deserves. I believe our whisky expertise, proven brand-building ability and strong routes to market will help take Glenglassaugh to the next level.”

Mr Walker added: “The timing is good as there is no doubt we are currently in a golden age for scotch whisky. There’s unprecedented demand for high-end brands like ours in places like Taiwan, Scandinavia, USA, China, India, Russia, the Middle East, South Africa and South America, and we now have the fantastic opportunity to re-introduce Glenglassaugh to these markets.”

Mr Walker continued: “I would like to thank the Royal Bank of Scotland who have seamlessly facilitated the deal.”

Glenglassaugh’s Managing Director Stuart Nickerson said: „It’s great to be back in Scottish hands. Glenglassaugh is a fantastic brand that was unheard of five years ago and today is exported to over twenty-five countries worldwide. It’s highly regarded as a premium brand and has won numerous top awards. We’ve grown the business significantly and today’s announcement means continued investment and will also allow the business to grow further and more rapidly.“

Glenglassaugh is situated on the Banffshire coast close to the village of Portsoy. Operations stopped in 1986 and re-started in 2008.

In case of the Peat’s Beast, things are the same (‚untamed‘, ’not for the faint hearted‘, ‚monstrously peaty‘) but also a bit different. It is a Single Malt, a peaty one of good quality, but not from Islay. Of course, I would also underscore its peatiness to sell it to the phenol crowd. It is easily missed that it is no Islay Malt. Rumour has it that it is a BenRiach.

The friendly people at Kammer-Kirsch were so kind to provide German whisky clubs with a sample bottle, which I find a good way to introduce a new release. Let’s not judge this book by its burnt monster cover:

Peat’s Beast (Fox Fitzgerals Ltd.) Single Malt, 46%

Nose: Farmyardy and peaty in general, it renders elements of bonfire smoke, resin, pepper, Granny Smith apples, lemon zest, coffee beans and chalky oak. Brine, fallen autumn leafs and discrete vanilla sit in the backseat.

Palate/Finish: Just like above – and some green maltiness. The coffee and stable aromas lead into the finish with nice sulphur, peat and even iodine. The chalk joins in later. Not the most complex dram, but a very nice addition to the ‚everyday-peat-genre‘ – and one for a blind tasting ! This is not inferior to Islay’s releases of that kind.

Score: 85

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