Benrinnes 21 years 1974 Signatory Vintage Cask n°2576 - One of 312 - bottled 1994 (Brown)

Benrinnes was first built in 1826 at Whitehouse Farm (Speyside) by Peter Mackenzie, before being rebuilt at another site three years later following a flood. After changing hands several times, with owners including Alexander Edward—also the owner or joint owner of Craigellachie, Aultmore, Dallas Dhu and Oban—it became part of Distillers Company Limited in the 1920s. The new managers modernized the distillery and increased its production capacity. In 1974, it began using partial triple distillation, as at Mortlach, leading to a whisky with an animal-like character. This technique was abandoned in 2007. The Benrinnes single malt for a long time remained in the shadows, with no official bottling. It is found in the Flora and Fauna series and in independent bottlings.

A single cask (#2576) from the Benrinnes distillery, distilled in 1974 and bottled in 1994 by Signatory Vintage for La Maison du Whisky. Andrew Symington, founder of Signatory Vintage, started his whisky business by selecting casks for the Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh. This marked the beginning of Andrew Symington's whisky adventure, which led him to subsequently launch Signatory Vintage in 1988. Symington invested in a small bottling line, which he housed in his Edinburgh cellars. He started by bottling at natural strength, with no chill filtration or colouring, methods that were still uncommon in the late 1980s. The iconic ‘Dumpy bottle’ series, for example, displayed details that bottlers had traditionally not divulged, such as the cask number, the type of cask, the number of bottles, etc. The bottle numbers were also inscribed by hand. Signatory Vintage has forged a reputation for selling not only the finest whiskies from the most legendary distilleries in the world, such as Springbank, Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Bowmore, but also by bottling whiskies from extremely rare distilleries such as Ben Wyvis, Glen Flagler and Killyloch. Not to mention the many versions distilled in Lomond stills at Miltonduff (Mosstowie), Glen Keith (Craigduff, Glenisla) or Glenburgie (Glencraig). Finally, in 2002, Andrew Symington also acquired the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry in the Highlands. The distillery is now home to Signatory Vintage, whose cellars are directly opposite the distillery. Limited edition of 312 bottles.