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| Benriach extravaganza | 18 Feb 2007 | |
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Benriach used to be a largely forgotten (or ignored) distillery. In 2004 it changed
owners and since then a large number of impressive bottlings have been released, among
them my two most recent whisky of the month: The 1976 vintage
and the very unusual 1980 "new wood".
Last weekend I attended a tasting of many different Benriach expressions. Several of
them were finishes from various kinds of casks. I'm usually wary of finishes but I must
admit that these were rather good! Well, most of them...
Thanks go to Lukas and Philipp and
to Billy Walker from Benriach
who provided the cask samples!
My tasting notes:
Benriach 1994 Port finish, peated (cask sample):
Peaty, fruity nose; very peaty palate with an interesting fruitiness
and a cereal note
(85 p)
Benriach 1994 Rum finish, peated (cask sample):
Rich, very nice nose with a lot of rum; quite peaty, quite nice palate
with a cereal note; more whisky and less rum than the 15 y.o. "Dark Rum"
(85 p)
Benriach 1994 Pedro Ximénez finish, peated (cask sample):
Peaty and intensely fruity nose; very peaty and quite rich palate
(a little too much of both the fruit and the peat)
(82 p)
Benriach 1992 Sauternes finish (cask sample):
Fresh, herbal, quite nice nose; sweet, fairly rich and fairly spicy palate;
nicely balanced
(84 p)
Benriach 1991 Burgundy finish (cask sample):
Wonderful, light, fresh, fragrant nose with notes of herbs and hay; nice,
balanced palate with a note of mint; slightly disappointing finish, however
(87 p)
Benriach 1991 Claret finish (cask sample):
Quieter nose than the Burgundy but richer palate; rich, fruity and quite nice
palate with a "winey" character, also slightly fiery
(86 p)
Benriach 1991 Moscatel finish (cask sample):
Nice, sweet palate but develops a sharp note; interesting but not entirely
convincing
(83 p)
Benriach 1991 Tokay finish (cask sample):
IPA (isopropyl alcohol) and a hint of fruit on the nose; IPA and a bit more
fruit on the palate; all in all clean but very chemical
(60 p)
Benriach 15 y.o. Dark Rum finish:
Very nice, herbal, rum-like nose; nice yet quite spicy palate (the most
rum-like whisky ever!)
(84 p)
Benriach 16 y.o.:
Sweet and fruity with a note of violet candy; also quite smoky;
all in all complex and quite nice
(86 p)
Benriach 1985 Oloroso finish, peated (cask sample):
Nice, balanced and fairly peaty; quite peaty finish (not a lot of sherry though)
(83? p)
Benriach 1980 New oak:
Very nice, rich, fragrant nose with vanilla (almost like an old bourbon);
rich, sweet palate with vanilla and coconut; drying towards the finish which
has a little too much oak
(90 p)
Benriach 1977 Oloroso wood, peated (cask sample):
Mild, fruity palate with a dry sherry character; the peat is at first restrained
but gets stronger in the finish
(85-86 p)
Benriach 1977 (cask sample):
Sweet, fruity and a little spicy; complex and very nice (similar to the first 20 y.o.)
(88-89 p)
Benriach 1976 Sherry wood (Signatory) cask 9442:
Quite peaty nose; peaty, balanced palate with only a hint of the sherry
(87-88 p)
Benriach 1970 (cask sample):
Spices and dried fruit on the nose; very nice palate with notes of ginger,
cinnamon and dried fruit; slightly peaty finish
(89 p)
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