Berry Bros bottles BenRiach for Chinese New Year

Wine and spirits merchant Berry Bros & Rudd has bottled a 2008 vintage BenRiach single malt Scotch to mark Chinese New Year – the Year of the Rat.

Chinese New Year, the Chinese festival that marks the start of the Chinese calendar, will begin on 25 January, with 2020 being the Year of the Rat. Bottled at 58.3% ABV, the single malt whisky is limited to only 100 bottles, priced at £88 (US$115) per 700ml. The Speyside bottling is said to have aromas of fresh fruit salad and lime zest, which develops to orange and peach notes over time. On the palate, tasting notes include peach, manuka honey and some dried tobacco, leading to a long finish of banana bread, oak spice and “the merest suggestion” of wood smoke. Berry Bros appointed Lizzy Rudd as the company’s executive chairman in March last year. Later that same month, the company unveiled plans to launch its Spice Hunter spiced rum in the UK. Building its rum portfolio, Berry Bros extended its Classic Range in August with the addition of four new rums.