Fahrenheit 173 - Aged Spirits

BenRiach Authenticus 21 y.o. (46%):
The nose is quiet yet nice, with notes of wood smoke, tropical fruits and honey. The palate also has honey, joined by malt and citrus. De­velops oak, spices and a bit of heat. Oaky, smoky finish. All in all it's subtle, complex and rather nice yet a little dis­ap­point­ing. (87 p)

BenRiach 1976 cask 6942, bottled 2011 (57.8%):
Very oaky nose with linseed oil and brown sugar, also dried fruits and plum compôte (re­min­is­cent of old Spanish brandies). Nice and complex but too oaky. The palate is sur­pris­ingly mild and sur­pris­ingly nice: rich, sweet and sherried with notes of caramelized sugar, gin­ger­bread and mint. It's at first sweet then drying and de­velops oak. Dry, oaky finish with gin­ger­bread and mint. Spicy and warming. Long. All in all it's a power­ful winter warmer. Heavy on the oak. (89 p)

BenRiach Virgin Oak 1996 cask 2788, 15 y.o. (55.6%):
Interesting, fragrant nose with oak shavings, vanilla, apricot, orange (a little like an old bourbon). Nice but perhaps a little too oaky. The palate is rich, sweet and very nice. Fruity at first, then de­velops oak and marzipan. Grows quite spicy. The finish is quite oaky with very nice notes of orange, clove, vanilla and mint. All in all uneven - unconvincing nose but the palate is nice and the finish won­der­ful. Best with only a little water. (89 p)

BenRiach Virgin Oak 1989 cask 5620, 22 y.o. (50.6%):
Big, fragrant nose with lots of oak and brown sugar, also lighter notes of vanilla and mint. Not quite bal­anced but very nice. Sweet, fruity palate with marzipan and oak. De­velops a note of mint. Big and rich yet bal­anced. Oaky finish with notes of cinnamon and gin­ger­bread. Balanced and very nice. Conclusion: The oak is prominent and ever present but not overbearing (which is astonishing after 22 years in new wood). Very, very nice. (90 p)

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A review of Ardmore 1997, Balblair 1990, Glen Moray 1992, Strathisla 1987 and Strathmill 1995.

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A review of single malts from the Czech Republic, England, Germany, India, Sweden and Taiwain.

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A review of Green Spot, Yellow Spot, Tullamore Dew 12, Redbreast 12, Powers John's Lane and Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy.