BenRiach
Founded in 1897, the Benriach distillery is located within the Speyside region of Scotland’s whisky making production and is today a name on most whisky drinkers wish list..
The distillery produces a multitude of different whiskies including both Un – peated and Peated expressions from several different cask types… BenRiach has now followed in its sister distilleries footsteps by releasing a series of single cask releases, well i say followed this is batch 16 which obviously implies it’s been going for some time but bewilderingly it’s managed to go undetected by so many until the more recent releases..
Rachel Barrie, the Master blender for Brown Foreman ( Glendronach, Benriach and Glenglassaugh ) has hand selected 24 single casks of which 16 are un peated and 8 peated casks for this release which is said to showcase the diverse capabilities of the BenRiach distillery..
This batch 16 release of 24 single casks has been split into 12 Casks for the European market and 12 casks for Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and Canada..
9 Year Old Virgin Oak
This review is for one of the European releases and is a 9 year old single cask, fully matured in Virgin oak.
Distillery.. Benriach
Region.. Speyside
Age.. 9 years
Abv.. 58.5%
Cask.. Virgin Oak #6095
Nose.. This has that instant sweetness that draws you in, the oak is obviously prominent with lots of caramel, maple syrup and dark toffee notes that merge nicely with candied orange, dark chocolate, plum and coffee notes.
Palate.. The oak just enhances the enjoyment and highlights the sweetness that really does give the impression of some Sherry influence.. A lot more dried fruit and chocolate notes are evident with a real sweetness that is also reminiscent of a good bourbon.
Finish.. Long, oaky and deliciously sweet.
Thoughts.. If you like oak, spices and a little heat in a whisky then look no further.. This really didn’t want any longer in the cask or it might have just become too oaky even for me but once again Benriach have got it spot on.
Virgin oak can soon become to oak dominant and although most of the really successful releases are relatively young this has managed to get to 9 years old and still maintain a little freshness and vibrant qualities..
If like me you are partial to a dram or two of Virgin oak matured whisky then this might just be for you..
This is reviewed from an official sample.
ocdwhisky.com 