BENRINNES 2000 19YO - CADENHEAD IN THE COURTYARD

Time flies - its been 2 weeks since the last post :-O  - also keeping this a short one...

I recently opened the bottle which I'm about to review and I thought I'd let it breathe a bit before giving my opinion on it.... and yes, I know - it's another Benrinnes - but it's a good one!

This bottle was one a little more than a handful of expression available at the Cadenhead in the Courtyard event in September 2019 - a sort of a Cadenhead Open Day outside the one they usually share with Kilkerran during the Campbeltown Malt Festival in May

We were lucky with the weather too for this event back then and the Courtyard event itself combined with a few upstairs tastings and warehouse tasting made this a perfect day out! Add to that the opportunity to take away some bottlings exclusive to this event - what a treat!

Draff being dumped from Benrinnes on 3rd May 2010 © The Malt Desk

Benrinnes 2000 19yo 56,5%, 2 sherry hogsheads + 1 bourbon hogshead, 56,5%, Cadenhead in the Courtyard

Nose:
A slight alcohol nip at first, but then a clean fresh sherry style with rum raisins, cold coffee, milk chocolate, cough sweets, licorice root, and candied apple slices.
I do recognize this as a malt, but the moe inexperienced nose could easily mistake this for a rum, IMO

Taste:
For a second there, on arrival, this just gives an alcohol burn
This is chocolate and praline, a bit earthy style sherry here but still clean as a
whistle in its style, maybe a bit of that cough style camphor in here too?

Quite syrupy, but also a hint of some orangy notes peeping through mixed with coffee and strong tea. Somehow, I'm also getting the impression that this how a whisky/coffee/dark honey mix would taste like if not at cask strength like this one.

Great stuff, especially on the nose!
A real Winter Warmer!

89/100!

BENRINNES 1997 21YO 36.163 'A BLISS MOMENT' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

As promised in this review, I'll be review a bourbon cask Benrinnes - this one from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)

Now, like many other indie bottlers out there, the SMWS has also struggled to keep up with demand. I remember when the SMWS was first introduced in Denmark and old bottlings at a fair price just kept coming in and draining my wallet at the time.

As whisky became more and more popular these now very exclusive whiskies are gone and have been replaced with something less - both in age and quality.
Sad, but that's how things go - and not just for the SMWS, but for all bottlers.
They can only bottle from the stock they have access to... and the hard facts are that the distillers can sell almost all that they produce themselves and this shows in their pricing too... and all we can now just sit back and reminisce.

Then sometimes, and this is already 2 years ago, bottlings like this one and other Benrinnes' from indie bottlers pops up - gets spotted by the experienced whisky drinker that recognizes a quality bottling, puts it on Social Media, and *puf* GONE !

You now have to chase these ones down almost as hard as you would a bottle of Glendronach, Clynelish or Macallan (not that I understand why with the latter anymore - their whisky just isn't that good anymore - it's only for collectors and for those that want whisky that has been branded a luxury item, but just, in fact, isn't one anymore in terms of quality! - rant over!) 

You see where this is going, right?
It's hard facts for you, I know - but that's the state of the whisky world with all those investors and bottle flippers out there...

Approaching the not so flattering looking Benrinnes Distillery on an overcast day, August 26th 2012 © The Malt Desk 

Benrinnnes 1997 36.163 (15.08.1997/xx.xx.2018) 21yo 'A Bliss Moment' 59,5%, 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel, 179 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Nose:
Fresh fruit and vanilla carried in on a veil of barley sugar. The fruit, being much of the citrus kind gives hints of Cointreau liqueur, dusty hardwood in the attic, and a slight fresh gingery note along with the faintest hint of a metal workshop

Taste:
Big fruity arrival and then a rush of malt and slightly burnt pastry notes and apples.
The finish produces some peppery cask spices but also a slight paint thinner note peeping through on the finish with added water. This was not there before adding the water...

All in all, this is a very nice Benrinnes and there seem to be quite a few of them out there over these past couple of years. This is a very pleasant middle of the road whisky that's not overly complex, but what it does, it does sooo well - just don't add that water!

87/100!

Thanks to GNJ for the generous sample

BENRINNES 2000 20YO - CADENHEAD WOOD RANGE

It's quite nice to be trying some Benrinnes again... and I just recently had the opportunity to try both the below bottling as well as a very nice bourbon cask expression from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. The SMWS expression will be reviewed at a later time... 

Anyway, there was quite a buzz surrounding this Cadenhead release as everyone wanted to get their hands on this heavily sherried expression.
Why? Dark whisky sells - that's just a fact! Is it better?
Well, depends both on your taste - darker and spicier vs. lighter and fruitier? 
Personally, I like both - but it also comes very much down to my mood which one I prefer on that specific day! What's your preference?

When you, in this case, combine the sherry maturation with the amount of buzz that has been created by some independent bottlers around Benrinnes Distillery - especially from Cadenheads- as to how good whisky from this distillery can be - you got your whisky frenzy with bottle flippers and whisky anoraks competing for the same bottles.

My only fear when buying a sherry cask bottling today (both a cask finish or fully matured) is sulfur. That, or getting a bottle that has been in one of those new very modern sherry infused style casks. Hello, Whisky Industry - they're just not very good casks! (rant over!)

Now, I know that sherry isn't fashionable anymore, so there's bound to be fewer casks, and especially good casks, out there for the whisky industry to snap up - but these new ones? They're but a shadow of previous casks.

Then there's the price of sherry casks, costing about x10 as much as a bourbon cask - but all this warrants a post of its own.

But back to the review...

Benrinnes Distillery from the road, August 26th 2012 © The Malt Desk

Benrinnes 2000 20yo 54,7%, Oloroso sherry cask finish, 336 bottles, Cadenhead Wood Range

Nose:

Luckily, it seems this cask has escaped the sulfur candles of Jerez unharmed.

Bl**dy hell, how much sherry was left in this cask when it was re-reracked into this cask? Right away you get that heavy sherry influence you also imagined that would approach you when looking at the color of this whisky. 

Loads of dark fruits, raisins, figs, and alcohol-soaked plums. Also in there, there's cinnamon, cooked apple, and some lovely spicy wood notes - all well-integrated and delivered by the alcohol

Taste:

Again, this is a cask finish! This means that this has been matured in a (probably) ex-bourbon cask before being moved to its finishing cask, an ex-oloroso sherry hogshead in August 2019... It's showing a lot of sherry influence, for sure -but I'm also getting quite a bit of delicious wood spices, possibly a combination of its previous cask and the sherry cask? Also there, is nutmeg in abundance, some milk chocolate, a slight hint of warming paprika, and Danish 'krydderkage' (look it up!)

I get if someone wants to call this one a one-tracked whisky as it takes experience to pick out the more subtle underlying notes in this one.

It has certainly turned into what many whisky anoraks refer to as 'sherry bomb' but I still feel there's a bit more to this... In any case, it's a whisky that, for sure, is in tune with the Xmas Holiday season.

88/100!

Sample was bought from via my whisky network

BENRINNES 2002 36.81 - 'A MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY' - THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

Benrinnes Distillery was up until 2007 one of the more odd ones in the family of distilleries. Why? Because it used partial triple distillation of its spirit - a practise only still used at Mortlach and Springbank distilleries. A complete triple distillation, however is still done at the Auchentoshan Distillery on the outskirts of Glasgow and, of course, with the Springbanks Hazelburn.

Like the other distilleries using this method, Benrinnes has been known to put out a slightly heavier and natural slight sulphury style of spirit which has often been used as a backbone in owner, Diageo's blends. Benrinnes also used worm tub spirit condensers, which is also said to add to a heavier spirit character.

Its not often we see an official bottling of Benrinnes, so if you want to try this you'll most likely have to turn to the independent bottlers like the one I'll be reviewing below...

Benrinnes Distillery from the road, August 26th 2012 © The Malt Desk

Benrinnnes 2002 36.81 (14.08.2002/xx.xx.2014) 11yo 'A Mad Hatter's Tea Party' 60,1%, 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel, 203 bottles, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Colour is pale gold

Nose:
Quite full, vanilla, hay, lemons, grist/draff, hints of raspberry and ginger and cooked sweet vegetable notes, oils and hints of mint and wet rocks

Taste:
Be careful with this - its over 60%! It's on stewed and candied fruit (citrus and apple) followed by a rush of barley, vanilla custard creme and waxy/oily feel to it. Added water brings out a white winey edge and also some floral notes.

Quite the dram with some of heavier notes coming through - one that'll grow on you!

86/100!

BENRINNES 1997 - ADELPHI

About a mile before reaching the village of Aberlour on the A95 running through Speyside, you can, from the road, spot a red chimney on the right, about ½ mile in... that's the distillery.

Benrinnes Distillery is owned by drinks giant Diageo and is almost exclusively used as blend dresser... and the 15yo bottling in the Flora & Fauna range being the best known and about the only official bottling from there - the rest on the market all being from independent bottlers and most notably Gordon & MacPhail. The bottling in this review, however, is from Adelphi...

The distillery is not open to the public and when you get close you can also see why - its not as well kept as distilleries who has visitors centres and a large number of people coming through.

Benrinnes Distillery on a gloomy day, August 26th 2012 © The Malt Desk 

Benrinnes 1997 15yo 59,1%, ex-bourbon cask#837, 148 bottles, Adelphi

Colour is full straw

Similar bottle is shown

Nose:
Nice measures of vanilla and fresh fruit, fresh malt, custard, bit of ginger. After a while more grassy notes comes through, making this one very fresh and lively on the nose - lovely!

Taste:
Medium heavy mouth arrival, apple, vanilla and juicy barley being the most noticeable notes at first. Some notes of peach and honey comes through after a while. The whole thing turns very oily with a few drops of water, giving it an even richer mouthfeel. Fresh cut grass and lemons now in there too... its just keeps developing showing more notes of cereal as we go along.. It finishes on sweet barley and a slight peppery nip.

Some of the best Benrinnes I've had!

89/100!

EDINBURGH INDIE 'THE BOTTLERS' - PART IV

Benrinnes 1982 26yo 57,4% xx.11.1982/xx.05.2009, refill sherry butt#3229, The Bottlers

Colour: Deep Oloroso

Nose:

Sherry and fruity first, but then almost immediately a full hit of rubber hit the nose - like a pair of wellies - a giants size wellies, that is :-/


Taste:
More rubber and now also with a sulphury hit though water takes off the top notes of unpleasentries. I have also tried leaving the rest in the glass for a good 45mins, without any improvement.

I did not finish this dram out of respect for the next one to be had.
They say that 40% of the population is immune to different kinds of sulphury notes...guess I'm not! :-O HUGE dissapointment, this one!

58/100!