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| Hello, that is considered one of our (nearly) each day tastings. Santé! |
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February 4, 2025
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A BenRiach-tacular session, Half One
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| Benriach Distillery (Benriach) |
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We typically discover ourselves overwhelmed. In reality, it occurs to us on a regular basis, however particularly when a specific distillery arrives en masse among the many independents. It creates a kind of bottleneck, as we make some extent of tasting “a little bit of all the things” on WF. So, when avalanches of Glenburgie, Ledaig, Ben Nevis, Teaninich, Benrinnes or, on this case, Benriach arrive over the course of some months or years, it’s sheer panic. Let’s name it a cheerful panic. Anyway, let’s attempt to resolve the issue, particularly with regard to Brown-Forman’s Benriach. We’ll strategy it randomly, for extra enjoyable (and fewer order). As a result of Benriach is nice! Even when we’re not within the realm of the 1968, 1971, or 1976 vintages—except there are nonetheless some left for us to strive within the stash, in fact…
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Benriach 7 yo 2013/2020 (46%, Whisky Is The Restrict, 1st fill Banyuls barrique, cask #121A, 534 bottles) 
Ah, our Swiss mates, all the time with a eager eye (or nostril) for wine. This time, they’ve gone for Banyuls, that pleasant apéritif and dessert wine from the sunny slopes of the Jap Pyrenees. Let’s see if this wee Benriach can deal with the candy embrace of such a cask… Color: Deep gold. Nostril: think about smoking apricots over a pinewood fireplace, then drizzling the entire affair with a beneficiant dollop of honey. Sounds inconceivable? Effectively, it’s truly relatively pretty. There’s a resinous, nearly medicinal edge right here, nevertheless it’s balanced by a fruity sweetness that’s arduous to withstand. Mouth (neat): the Banyuls is entrance and centre, its sugary richness main the cost. However wait—there’s a whisper of vegetal smoke, nearly fino-like, lurking within the background. For a quick second, you would possibly suppose you’re sipping a dry PX aged in a solera system. Then come the smoked almonds, including a nuttier, much more savoury twist. Fairly the rollercoaster, this one. End: long, herbaceous, and even a contact peaty. Image the ashes of a sprucewood fireplace, smouldering gently. It’s earthy, smoky, and oddly satisfying. Feedback: peat and candy wine—a daring pairing, little question. However right here, it really works. The Banyuls cask brings richness, whereas the spirit holds its personal with a smoky, natural spine. A unusual little dram, however one which’s arduous to place down.
SGP: 654 – 85 factors. |
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Benriach 2013/2022 ‘Malting Season Second Version’ (48.9%, OB, first fill bourbon cask) 
Malted Concerto barley from the distillery’s personal malting flooring! Color: white wine. Nostril: lemon tart and white nougat, adopted by barley syrup, bruised apples, and winery peaches. It certainly feels ‘near the barley’, which is completely pleasing. Mouth: youthful, however the creamy and fruity character is extremely pleasant. Loads of citrus, notably candied lemon, then vanilla and extra barley syrup. A splendidly thick texture, even when the flavour spectrum isn’t notably expansive. End: lengthy, with barley sugar and a contact of contemporary American oak. Vanilla essence and dried apples linger within the aftertaste. Feedback: this is superb, maybe only a tad too younger. Now we tremendously benefit from the creamy texture.
SGP:651 – 84 factors. |
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Benriach 8 yo 2012/2020 (56%, Classic Malt Whisky Co., unique for Taiwan, Scorching Malt Artwork Sequence, bourbon barrel, cask #800215, 246 bottles)
Color: pale white wine. Nostril: fast and easy, with inexperienced melons, pears, gooseberries, and a spoonful of sunflower oil. With water: as typically, a delicate earthy contact emerges, adopted by beeswax. Contemporary, youthful, and refined. Mouth (neat): very fruity, excellent. Bananas, apples, plums, alongside honey and inexperienced tea. Impeccable. With water: comparable, however with extra emphasis on citrus now. End: pretty lengthy, with added vanilla, inexperienced tea, and white pepper. Very basic. Feedback: nothing to fault right here—a relatively important malt, providing precisely what its youthful age permits.
SGP:551 – 85 factors. |
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Benriach 11 yo 2008/2020 (58%, Dràm Mor, cask #196, 87 bottles)
Color: gold. Nostril: cherry leaves, previous copper, walnuts, overripe apples, and tobacco. If there’s no sherry right here, I’ll eat my Stetson cap. With water: splendidly earthy, with damp dunnage, amontillado, and roasted hazelnuts. Mouth (neat): very good, a tauter sherry profile, targeted on oranges and walnuts, however with hints of triple sec and rum-soaked sultanas, alongside mentholated tobacco. With water: merely good. Spiced orange liqueur and candy pipe tobacco. End: lengthy, spicier as anticipated, with clove and a contact of turmeric. Feedback: a marvellous little bottle. I do know we’re relatively late to the occasion, however should you’ve acquired an unopened one in your stash, do dive in—it’s glorious.
SGP:651 – 87 factors. |
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Benriach 8 yo 2013 (55.3%, The Stillman’s, La Desk de Urs Hauri Choice, Switzerland, +/-2021)
Right here we’re within the Swiss capital, Bern! Hoppla… Color: straw. Nostril: gentler. Apple peelings, greengages, inexperienced tea, and a slight trace of pure rubber… All very pretty. With water: pears take the lead. Over there, they’d name it Williamine. Mouth (neat): malty, fruity, with notes of desserts, apples, pear tart, and a contact of white pepper. Hoppla. With water: rounder, a bit extra honeyed. Barley syrup, apple juice, honey, and so forth. End: comparable. Feedback: you actually can’t fault these younger malts.
SGP:651 – 84 factors. |
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Benriach 12 yo 2010/2022 (62.1%, Fadandel, refill hogshead, cask #3667)
Completed in a refill sherry octave. Alright then… Color: very pale white wine. Nostril: the sherry octave was clearly extraordinarily ‘refill’. Muscovado sugar, ripe apples, sweet cane in beneficiant 50-packets, and praline. With water: damp chalk, which is all the time pleasant. Maybe a touch of inexperienced walnut. Mouth (neat): the sherry is current however behaves properly, in contrast to the relatively rowdy pepper. At this energy, it positively wants water. With water: oh, glorious—malty, fruity, very targeted on barley, with a contact of barely earthy liquorice. End: pretty lengthy, extra tense, with inexperienced apple and grapefruit. Inexperienced pepper and fudge linger within the aftertaste. Feedback: true, there are a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of litres of whisky like this sleeping in Scotland proper now, however that doesn’t cease it from being excellent. Easy, however excellent.
SGP:551 – 85 factors. |
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Benriach is a superb malt, however in these occasions, is it distinctive sufficient? And the place have the mangos gone? Proper then, one final one for right this moment…
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Benriach 15 yo 2008/2023 (51.9%, The Whisky Alternate, The Seasons – Summer time, hogshead, cask #47387)
Color: pale gold. Nostril: barely oily (sunflower oil), with orange cake, ripe apple, a touch of hops, and the faint scent of a cigarette left burning in an ashtray. With water: wait, did they add a contact of mezcal? Jamaican rum? Olive oil? Mouth (neat): oh, excellent. Earthy white fruits and some roots surrounding celeriac—this can be a Benriach that breaks away from the peculiar. With water: nonetheless excellent, remaining rooty and saline. Whereas it’s not missing in fruitiness, it feels a contact un-Benriach. End: pretty lengthy and relatively saline, with a touch of miso past the ripe apples. Feedback: I’m not saying Benriach has develop into a bit uninteresting because the finish of these very good previous ‘tropical’ shares, however variations like this are definitely welcome.
SGP:562 – 87 factors. |
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