SMWS regionSpeyside
Age9 years
ABV57%
ProfileSweet & Zesty
Cask1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
SpiritSingle Malt Scotch Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 9 years, Sweet & Zesty.
£52View on SMWS
Home › SMWS codes › Code 48
SMWS Code 48: Balmenach
Distillery behind Society cask numbers 48.x
SMWS code 48 is Balmenach, in the Speyside region. It is an operating distillery, founded in 1824. Any Society bottling numbered 48.x (for example 48.1, 48.42) is a single cask from Balmenach.
- DistilleryBalmenach
- RegionSpeyside
- StatusOperating
- LocationHighland, Scotland
- Founded1824
- WikidataQ805469
Mapping confidence: confirmed · how we verify · report a correction
About Balmenach
Above the village of Cromdale, where the Spey runs cold and the Jacobites met defeat in 1690, Balmenach has quietly made whisky since 1824, one of the oldest distilleries in all of Speyside. It keeps to the old ways and the old character, a robust, weighty, faintly meaty make that blenders have long prized and that rewards the patient. These days the same site also turns out Caorunn gin, but the single malt remains a throwback, a big-boned Speysider with none of the modern polish. Under Inver House it works far from the tourist trail, which suits a distillery that has always let the spirit speak for itself.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottles single casks under numeric codes rather than distillery names, so a label reading 48.403 means cask 403 from distillery 48. That distillery is Balmenach, in Speyside. More on Balmenach at Wikipedia.
Balmenach in the current Outturn 1 bottle(s)
Balmenach in past Outturns 43 bottle(s)
The 12 most recent, newest first. See all 43 →
Aug 2026SMWS regionSpeyside
Age8 years
ABV56.9%
ProfileFragrant & Floral
Cask1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 8 years, Fragrant & Floral.
“The nose was immediately creamy and sweet, with vanilla and loads of fruit (peaches, raspberries and plums) – basically a knickerbocker glory (with the emphasis on…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£52View on SMWS
Sold outFeb 2026SMWS regionSpeyside
Age12 years
ABV59.4%
Cask1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 12 years.
“The nose had heather honey and dessert wine sweetness, but also nice touches of exotic wood (a laurel hedge, gorse flowers, sandalwood, hessian, pencil boxes and…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£69View on SMWS
Sold outNov 2025SMWS regionSpeyside
Age10 years
ABV63%
Cask1st fill ex-Bourbon barrel
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 10 years.
“Giving time for our old leather jackets to soak up conditioner, we inhaled the scents of linen dunked in custard, chamomile tea and grilled pineapple sauce.…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£60View on SMWS
Sold outJun 2025SMWS regionSpeyside
Age12 years
ABV59.3%
Cask1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 12 years.
“Walking through a freshly mown field on a warm summer evening, our noses grazed on pineapple and pear, vanilla and perfume.…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£69View on SMWS
Sold outMay 2025SMWS regionSpeyside
Age11 years
ABV59.6%
Cask1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 11 years.
“A clean, fresh nose with fruits in a wooden bowl, church candles and a fuchsia hedge got us started.…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£64View on SMWS
Sold outOct 2024SMWS regionSpeyside
Age10 years
ABV60.6%
Cask1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 10 years.
“The initial aroma was that of reeds growing in the saltmarshes of a river estuary before an aromatic, fragrant, perfumed scent of tropical water lilies in full bloom…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£59View on SMWS
Sold outSep 2024SMWS regionSpeyside
Age15 years
ABV51.5%
Cask1st fill ex-px hogshead
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 15 years.
“The airways were cleared by camphor and menthol, paving the way for the wonderful aromas of juicy slices of red apple fused with peanut butter and jam sandwiches.…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£90View on SMWS
Sold outSep 2024SMWS regionSpeyside
Age10 years
ABV59.8%
Cask1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 10 years.
“Tart fruits tantalised our noses – gooseberry fool, lemon drops, waxed orange, redcurrant jam, marshmallow twists and popping candy – with traces of pink peppercorns and…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£59View on SMWS
Sold outAug 2024SMWS regionSpeyside
Age15 years
ABV52.7%
Cask2nd fill American oak toasted barrique
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 15 years.
“We cracked the hard caramel top of a mixed berry crème brûlée and had a bite of a coconut, almond and raspberry traybake.…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£83View on SMWS
Sold outJul 2024SMWS regionSpeyside
Age9 years
ABV62.3%
Cask1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 9 years.
“A dollop of strawberry jam arrived, wrapped in rice paper and topped with mango purée.…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£55View on SMWS
Sold outMay 2024SMWS regionSpeyside
Age17 years
ABV54.2%
Cask1st fill ex-oloroso butt
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 17 years.
“The nose on this one was immediately impactful and brand spectrum, with notes including raspberry jam, a fat, rum-like worm tub funk, powdered cinnamon and ginger, and…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£97View on SMWS
Sold outApr 2024SMWS regionSpeyside
Age9 years
ABV62.6%
Cask1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
SpiritMalt Whisky
In short · Balmenach (Speyside), 9 years.
“The nose enticed us with superficial sweet charms – candy cigarettes, banana chips, brown sugar and dried fruits – but we also detected cereal notes (muesli, sacks of…”Extract · full tasting notes at SMWS
£55View on SMWS
See all 43 Balmenach bottles →
Other Speyside distilleries: 1 Glenfarclas, 2 Glenlivet, 7 Longmorn, 8 Tamdhu, 9 Glen Grant, 12 BenRiach, 15 Glenfiddich, 18 Inchgower, 24 Macallan, 30 Glenrothes, 34 Tamnavulin, 35 Glen Moray · all Speyside codes
← Back to the full SMWS code list
FAQ
Which distillery is SMWS code 48?
SMWS code 48 is Balmenach, in the Speyside region. It is an operating distillery, founded in 1824. Any Society bottling numbered 48.x (for example 48.1 or 48.42) is a single cask from Balmenach.