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| Hello, that is one in all our (nearly) day by day tastings. Santé! |
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June 1, 2022
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Little Trios, at the moment Benriach plus two
When the ‘new’ Benriachs got here to the market there’s been an enormous shock, in no small measures because of the excessive high quality of some older vintages, equivalent to 1966, 1971 or 1976. It is true that the little 10 yo that was obtainable earlier than that was not a shining star, to place it mildly. Now, has Benriach fallen again into the peloton since its final take-over? I am not too positive, to be trustworthy we do not attempt a lot of them anymore… Let’s have a go at a wee bunch…
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Benriach 10 yo ‘The Unique Ten’ (43%, OB, +/-2022) 
It is humorous that they might have gone again to one thing much like the outdated design from the Nineteen Nineties. It additionally says ‘Three Cask Matured’, which is at all times scary and somewhat, say demeaning in my e book. Now Macallan does it too, so… Color: white wine. Nostril: the actual fact is that this nostril is good, fashionable, with some recent cake, chalk, lemon syrup, Szechuan pepper, fruity hops, IPA, lemon curd and custard… It is just a bit shy and I am positive that is the comparatively low energy. Mouth: identical sort of composition, with lemons, white pepper, chalk, dough, cider apples and inexperienced pears, plums… It is very nice, solely the white pepper would have a tendency to return to the entrance somewhat an excessive amount of. I am positive 46% vol. would have fastened that. End: medium, very good, this time with extra honey and, excellent news, reasonably much less white pepper. Feedback: extraordinarily fantastic and in France, the value could be very proper (39.90€ at LMDW as we communicate – no, in fact not, we do no affiliation with anyone.)
SGP:531 – 83 factors. |
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Benriach 10 yo 2009/2019 (51%, OB for Minmore Home and Shinanoya, Japan, peated/rum barrel, cask #4414, 273 bottles)
Peat and rum! Peat and rum, are we prepared for this? Color: white wine. Nostril: effectively, peat plus rum generates… peat. I imply, on this very case. I am discovering this a lot nicer than the sooner peaty efforts they’d accomplished (Birnie Moss and such), however we’re very near uncooked peated malted barley, as if we have been visiting some working malting plant. I am discovering the rum exhausting to detect, however I suppose we might if we had each samples in entrance of us, with and with out the rum. Rising notes of camphor and bicycle interior tube, rubber, Barbour grease… With water: rubber up. A brand new field of rubber bands. Mouth (neat): some sort of smoked natural liqueur, I suppose that is the rum. Did anyone ever attempt to smoke Jägermeister? I imply, peat it? Cigarette ashes and gray pepper within the background. With water: we might have struck stability. Some mangos and pineapples coming out, reasonably unexpectedly. End: reasonably lengthy, fruitier when lowered. Feedback: one thing of an UFW (unidentified flying whisky). Good enjoyable, why not.
SGP:546 – 84 factors. |
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Benriach 13 yo 2008/2021 (57.1%, Alambic Classique for Fassstark.de, bourbon, cask #21012, 261 bottles)
The indies are on… Color: white wine. Nostril: fully completely different, far more on acidic small fruits and berries (holly, elder) and polish, nearly with some acetone and certainly with a number of cider apples. Somewhat powerful, however basically, with these unsure sorts of profiles, water will make wonders, let’s have a look at… With water: recent wholegrain bread and even notes of rye, actually. No extra varnish, reasonably some prolonged breadiness, which I am at all times in favour of. Mouth (neat): completely uncooked, completely eau-de-vie-ish, that is tutti-frutti (or uncooked grappa) enhanced with litres of barley syrup. A humorous feeling as soon as extra. With water: there, the breads popping out this time once more, along with reasonably a number of kirschwasser. Lemons and gooseberries within the background. End: lengthy, tart, grassier. Crunching the lime zests out of your mojito. Feedback: good enjoyable as soon as extra. The drinker can have some work to do powerful, particularly with water.
SGP:561 – 84 factors. |
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Maybe one or two extra, we cannot do Benriach fairly often…
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Benriach 2012/2020 (60.4%, C&S Dram Assortment, bourbon barrel, cask #800226, 226 bottles)
One other one from and for Germany. This needs to be extraordinarily eau-de-vie-ish, in keeping with the color, however we shan’t complain, we love eau-de-vie too… Color: very pale white wine. Find it irresistible that the very participating bottler did really feel the necessity to add ‘pure color’ to the label. Now, agreed, you might artificially discolour whisky too, as some used to do across the late Nineteen Sixties and early Seventies. However we’re digressing… Nostril: complete uncooked bread, chalk, porridge, leaven, sourdough and grist, with one thing very fermentary, between cream cheese and pure uncooked yoghurt. With water: bits of rubber this time once more – is that one in all Benriach’s new markers? – in any other case crushed almonds and simply apples and pears. Mouth (neat): beautiful! Cranberry and prickly pear syrups, plus a number of tart sweetness. We’ll dare point out limoncello once more, my pal… With water: there, some good, candy, pure bare barleyness. That is the place you realise that malted barley is shock-full of sugar, it’s nearly like if not the whole lot obtained fermented (which is unattainable, we agree). . End: medium, very candy, nearly sugary. Feedback: identical ballpark so far as ‘high quality’ is worried. So, excellent and good enjoyable.
SGP:641 – 84 factors. |
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Let’s attempt an older one…
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Benriach 21 yo 1999/2021 (56.5%, WhiskySponge, 1st fill bourbon, 164 bottles) 
Ten extra years will positive make a distinction. A reasonably hallucinatory label too. Color: mild gold. Nostril: ah, we’re reasonably reminded of the Distillery’s ‘outdated vary’, with extra distinct fruits, each tropical ones and our frequent ‘orchard fruits’. That might be preserved greengages – I will by no means inform sufficient how a lot I really like that – and guavas, bananas, apples, additionally correct tangerines (not the boosted sugary ones), then lighter acacia honey and beeswax, in addition to some very complicated Wulong tea. It’s not a direct one on the nostril, however it is vitally complicated, simply give it time. With water: extra on grasses and peels. Additionally recent walnuts and almonds. Mouth (neat): a fistful of bonbons, jellybeans, marshmallows and banana foam. We all know that The Sponge is a sucker for banana foam, whereas his birthday is on… (No, no, S., please…) With water: excellent growth on grassy citrus. So extra grapefruits, limes and lemons. Oh hell, we’ll even point out yuzu as soon as extra. Peppered yuzu sherbet. End: reasonably lengthy and, precisely, on peppered yuzu sherbet. Feedback: merely high-class Benriach fruitiness.
SGP:651 – 88 factors. |
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The trio turned a quintet, all proper then, is that this Whiskyfun or what?
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