Benriach was founded in 1898 by John Duff, also owner of the nearby Longmorn distillery. It is situated near the town of Elgin and was one of the unfortunate distilleries forced to close after the Pattison whiskey crash (when a large whisky buyer's financial problems led to a price freefall). This was in 1900 after just 2 years of production. Incredibly whisky was not made again in Benriach until 1965 when it was reopened by Glenlivet Distillers. The distillery has been very fortunate to survive intact even in the last 50 years of its life. It has never really been consumed as a single malt even though there have been some unique and interesting malts made on site. It was not until 1994 that it became available in single malt form and almost the entire production went into blends. Fortunately for us whisky drinkers that means there are sufficient stocks to keep us happy for years. A takeover by a cash rich consortium in 2012 led to the release of some very good old whisky from the vaults and some more investment in the distillery. The distillery has four pot stills and has its own working floor maltings.
