Benriach 36 yo 1976 / 2012 #3031 for Usquebaugh Society 43.1% vs Benriach 35 yo 1975 / 2011 #7227 for Asta Morris 51 %
Benriach 36 yo 1976 / 2012 #3031 for Usquebaugh Society 43.1%
Fruity! As in, along tropical lines, like a Lochside or Bowmore. Bright, warm and sunny, bursting guava, passion fruit, sour grapefruit and dried mango. Not enough? Try some nectar too, and honeysuckle. It’s so fruity it needs a foil, and so dried grass, litres of green sap, and bark tea provide a counterpoint. A straight sharp arrow of flavour. The merest critique is that it could use a little more development and depth. So take it as a simple but absolutely wonderful malt. 90 pts
Benriach 35 yo 1975 / 2011 #7227 for Asta Morris 51 %
Oh this one is the next level in depth. Dusty rye and olive oil. Shades of berries but also resin, and bark in earthenware pots? And shadowy undergrowth. On the palate there’s mineral oil with flecks of metal, and ozone. Fruit here is the rich and dark sort with cloying berries of all shades. Clean roots, juniper, dried aromatic bark, something musky, and finishes with a dry green snap. There’s a lot going on although not as brightly fruity. What it is is big and multilayered. 91 pts
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