Benriach 11 yo 1994/2005 peated #805 vs Benriach 28 yo 1984/2013 peated PX cask for ‘Independent Spirit’ #1050
More Benriach, a rather good whisky that ought to be drunk more than it is, especially the single casks editions.
Benriach 11 yo 1994/2005 peated #805 46%
Nose: Peated malt bins, green apples, not salty but a earthy-organic compost-y rooty peat. Full of vegetal matter. Burning charcoal and woodsmoke. Also a rather buttery thick maltiness. Straightforward, does what it says it does, no flaws – the exuberence of malty youth yes but not a flaw. So yes, well drinkable. What? This was a sherry cask? Err.. Maybe 4th fill..
Palate: Exactly as promised, more big maltiness with big smokey peat all upfront here. Ash, sweet phenols, chewy and round, cereal sweetness with a light indistinct fruitiness. Actually rather good and no nonsense’.
Finish: Medium, woodsmoke, earth and malt.
Cheap and good. Will not disappoint. Hope we don’t find too much Jack Daniels in Benriach before long. (Recently bought over by Brown-Forman remember?)
Benriach 28 yo 1984/2013 peated PX cask for ‘Independent Spirit’ #1050 50.2%
Thanks Udo!
Nose: Ha. Thick syrupy and peaty with a whole array of scents to get through. This will be good. A mountain of worn out leather sofas, cedarwood, loads of rancio, and enough of that thick dry medicinals that I liken to chinese herbs. Only to be found with decent aging in good old sherry casks it seems. Old creaky oak, tobacco, some minty-pungent notes like wintergreen oil and then sweeter notes of jam, maybe something slighty fruitier too. Coal smoke, but the peat is rather heldback by the sherry here. Sound terrible but the whole is rather classic sherry plus peat.
Palate: Yes. Ok, it’s good but where does it start and where does it end, smokey buzz, sweet chewy jammy ‘oxidised’ fruit and roasty nuts. A bit of bacon? Some honey and a lot of heavy wood tannins peaking through. Cigarette ash, now becoming more laden with bitter-herbals, and surprise – that pungent green menthol really rears its head now. Peat? Not obvious at all.
Finish: Long, smoke, loads of oak, thick and dry purple sherry.
Much prefered the nose, still a great whisky – is it possible to jam any more flavours in here? You have the malt, the sherry and the peat, yes it comes together very well but it is a bit of a sensory overload.
Whiskyrific RSS
- Rosebank 14 yo 1966 / 1980 Cadenhead 46% vs Rosebank 26 yo 1967 / 1994 Scotch Single Malt Circle (Japan) #4398 51.7%
- Springbank 23 yo bottled Dec 1991 James MacArthur’s 53.7% vs Ardbeg 17 yo 1976 / 1993 Cadenhead 54.6%
- Glenfarclas over 12 years old F.W Hempel Metallurgical GmbH 45% vs Glenfarclas 25 yo 43%
- Craigellachie 12 yo 2007 / 2019 SMWS 44.113 59.9% vs Talisker 15 yo Special Release 2019 57.3%
- Glen Grant 23 yo 1992 / 2016 Cadenhead 53.1% vs Glentauchers-Glenlivet 26 yo 1990 / 2017 Cadenhead 52.6% vs Fettercairn 28 yo 1988 / 2017 Cadenhead 55.4%
- Old Pulteney 13yo 1990 /2003 Cadenhead 61.1% vs Old Pulteney 18 yo 1974 The Whisky Connoisseur #1132 57.8%
- Glen Moray 24 yo 1992 /2017 Cadenhead 50.9% vs Linkwood 24 yo 1992 / 2017 Cadenhead 50.9%
- Glen Garioch 21 yo 1992 / 2014 Liquid Library 51.6% vs Glen Garioch 21 yo 1991 / 2012 Liquid Library 52.5%
- Teaninich 11 yo 2006 / 2018 Cadenhead 55.2% vs Teaninich 10 yo 2009 / 2019 Cadenhead 55.1%
- Springbank 34 1964 / 1998 Cadenhead 52.2% vs Springbank 30 1972 / 2002 Chieftain’s #410 57.8%
