Tasting Benrinnes x3

Ah, Benrinnes! I remember the 15yo, splendid. And then I've had some other great ones too, but I find it's not much Benrinnes around, I've gathered these three for this session. Two slightly older bottlings and one kinda recent.


Benrinnes 20yo 1992-2012 55.7% Big Market Sonderabfüllung cask#004

There's no statement of this being from cask#004, it could very well be bottling#004 or batch or bottling or others. Until other information comes along, I'll be guessing the Unicorn number is a cask reference. 4cl bottle. The color is white wine. It smells big, rich, camphor, malt syrup, leather, mint leaves, rucola, wheat beer, spirit based marker, paint thinner, vanilla, boiled cabbage, cod liver. Very fresh. The taste is malty, spirity, quite young-ish, but it has some oily notes in the back that are quite pleasant. Water added. Now it turns to be richer, some sulphur, coffee, cinnamon, wax, heather, lemon lozenges, honey, cooked apples. A much better experience this time around. The finish is bitter and short.

What can I say, a great display of distillate, an everyday dram that takes some water: 6


Benrinnes 21yo 1979-2000 57.6% Scott's Selection

First one from Scott, which in my opinion is one of these smaller IB's bottling mostly whisky from distilleries usually under the GP's radar. The color is golden. It smells musty, prunes, dates, figs, caramel, cinnamon, honey, really rich and sweet, sumptuous some might say. Also quite some sweet mustard notes. The taste is so dry its almost painful, and also of dry white wines and hay. Adding water. Now it turns sweeter, minty, blackcurrants, bittersweet, raspberries, turkish yoghurt, bitter herbs, jägermeister, quite strange one, yet I wouldn't hold that against it. The finish is sweet and peppery.

Another one that excel when diluted: 7


Benrinnes 18yo 1979-1997 62.7% Scott's Selection

The label states that it is both "natural strength" and "undiluted", so at least you know what you're getting into. I've seen 6yo's bottled at CS at lower strength. Same vintage as the 2000 bottling, it could very well be the same cask bottled at two stages. The color is golden. It smells red wine, blackcurrants, blue grapes, rich port wine, dark chocolate, honey, eucalyptus, fennels, by far best nose so far. The taste is creamy, burnt butter, lime, sour notes, dry sherry, a bit too alcohol-driven, lets hope this as well excels with added water. Water makes it more rubbery, sticky, burnt sugar, pure alcohol, a bit hard to understand why they bottled this at such an age and strength, as it seems far from enough matured. The finish is just burnt.

How non-coherent can a nose and palate be?: 3



Next tasting: Fettercairn Distillery