5 older expressions from BenRiach
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| Photo courtesy of P.S.Whisky |
From a closure lasting 65 years, being mothballed at the start of this century, and multiple changes of ownership, it would be safe to say the history of BenRiach Distillery since its opening in 1898 has been a bit of a rollercoaster.
In 2004, an independent consortium led by Billy Walker completed the acquisition of the distillery after it had been mothballed two years earlier. In the August of that year, they began releasing a range of whiskies from their newly acquired stocks, some of which dated back to the 1960s. Production started almost immediately, with the first cask being filled in the September of the same year.
In 2016 the BenRiach Distillery Company was acquired by the Brown-Forman Corporation in a deal which also included the GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh distilleries.
Four of the bottles in this tasting session, organised by P.S.Whisky, were from the Billy Walker era, with the last being from early in the Brown-Forman days
Tasting notes:
Appearance: New gold in colour, forms a thin line which beads before falling slowly as thick, oily legs
Nose: Light, clean and softly fruity on the nose, honey, vanilla, subtle stone fruit and mature oak
Palate: Elegant, creamy mouthfeel. Ambrosia Tinned Cream Rice with a big swirl of strawberry jam, mildly astringent oak spice. A few drops of water muted all the fruit notes and adds a little more drying oak
Finish: Medium length. Charred oak, cinnamon and black pepper spice
Overall: A really enjoyable, fruity, easy drinking whisky. For me, water doesn’t bring any benefits, instead it takes away all the lovely summer fruit notes and becomes more astringent.
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BenRiach 17yo Burgundy Wood Finish (Released in 2010) - 46%
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Tawny in colour, forms a thin line which beads before falling slowly as thick, oily legs
Nose: Red berried fruit in abundance, stewed plums, dark roast coffee beans, vanilla pod and furniture polish
Palate: Medium-full body. Red berries from the nose have become darker and hedgerow in character. Amarena cherries in syrup on a bed of vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate almonds and a touch of ginger heat. A few drops of water bring out oak tannins
Finish: Lingering dark fruit, along with chocolate coated coffee beans, a mild herbaceous note, ginger warmth and a touch of woody oak
Overall: I really liked this one, the combination of cherries, chocolate and coffee is delightful. As with the Claret Wood it proved far better without water.
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BenRiach 17yo Solstice (Released in 2011) - 50%
Distilled from heavily peated malted barley, matured in ex-bourbon casks before being finished in tawny port casks.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Deep gold in colour, forms a thin line which beads before falling slowly as thick, oily legs
Nose: Sweet peat smoke beautifully balanced with fruits of the forest berries and vanilla ice cream
Palate: Mouthcoating oiliness. Robust, smoky peat which gradually fades to a honey glazed barbecue pork note, allowing mixed berry compote, vanilla cream, California raisins and a touch of nutty oak to make an appearance. Water brings out more sweet smoked meat notes
Finish: Long and lingering, sweet ashy smoke, berried fruit jam a touch of milk chocolate and soft, cinnamon warmth
Overall: I could have happily sat nosing this one for hours, such a lovely mix of sweet, smoky peat and berries. The palate and finish follow on in a similar fashion, adding up to a truly lovely experience. In this case, water did add a little more smokiness but I was more than happy without it.
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BenRiach 21yo Authenticus (Released in 2006) - 46%
Peated and matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon & Sherry casks. Originally released at 21 years old, 25 years old and 30 years old.
Tasting notes:
Appearance: New gold in colour, forms a thin line which beads before falling slowly as thick, oily legs
Nose: The peat is there but it’s less smoky and very much an aromatic highland peat. There’s a slight ashiness to it, accompanied by vanilla, runny honey, fresh pineapple, lemon citrus and just a touch of damp earth
Palate: Mouthcoating with a touch of astringency. Charred pineapple, a touch of mango mousse, runny honey, lemon sorbet, vanilla ice cream, juicy raisins, sweet peat, tinned mandarins, almonds and a touch of black pepper
Finish: Damp and earthy with a touch of the farmyard, butterscotch and very overripe mango
Overall: Great up until the finish, which I found extremely odd and unpleasant. It lingers a little too long for me. Such a shame as I was enjoying it up until that point
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BenRiach 22yo Albariza (Released in 2017) - 46%
Peated, with maturation in ex-bourbon and finished in PX casks
Tasting notes:
Appearance: Tawny colour, forms a thin line which beads before falling slowly as thick, oily legs
Nose: Sweet, floral peat smoke, very fruity with a combination of red berries, ripe figs, honey glazed BBQ pork, tangerine and lemon citrus, and just a hint of cooling mint
Palate: Medium bodied and softly astringent. Dates, figs, raisins and red berry compote gradually gives way to coffee, chocolate coated caramel toffees and soft smoke
Finish: Long and lingering, gentle peat smoke lingers long after notes of nutty coffee, charred oak and warming cinnamon gradually diminish
Overall: Really enjoyable, great balance with the peat providing another layer rather than taking centre stage
Summary: BenRiach is a distillery I haven’t really delved too deeply into, so the opportunity to try these older bottlings was too good to miss. I think it’s fair to say the casks played a major influence on in each of these whiskies, but in many ways the use of cask finishes is exactly what BenRiach was about at the time. The distillery spirit character itself isn’t as obvious, particularly in the unpeated whiskies, but if a whisky tastes good does that really matter?
For me the Solstice really stole the show, the heavily peated spirit marrying beautifully with the port cask finish. All of these are now discontinued, but if this one came up at auction I would be tempted to bid on it.
If you would like more information on this whisky, or the Benriach distillery, follow the link to the company website.
