Country: Scotland
Region: Highland - Speyside
Brand: BenRiach
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 54.4% %
Colour: Old Gold
Nose: You need to be patient with this BenRiach. It takes its time before revealing its character. The Oak and Vanilla are clearly present, accompanied by Juicy Sweet Malt, Butterscotch, Cake and Whipped Cream, Honey, Sweet Fruit like Nectarine and Peach, Light Spices (Cinnamon and Ginger) and Hints of Cocoa Milk and Milk Chocolate. There is some Alcohol there, quite logical given the high ABV, but it does not sting or bite.
Palate: Lots of Oak, Spices like White Pepper and Nutmeg, Coconut-Cocktail, Malt, Honey, Heather and Dried Fruits.
Finish: Malty, Fruity and quite Long with Honey, Pear-Drops, Caramel, Toffee, Oak, Licorice and White Pepper.
I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes more Fruity, Creamy and Floral with the Oak and Alcohol being forced back. Additional Hints of Mint, Tea and After Eight Chocolate. But Palate and Finish do not improve in my opinion. So add some Water for Nosing purposes but sip it neat.
Rating: 85
Nose: 22 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21
General Remarks: The BenRiach (Gaelic for Speckled Mountain) Distillery was founded in 1898 by John Duff. Since 2004 it's in the hands of a joint-venture between South African Infra Trading and Burn Stewart manager Billy Walker. This BenRiach 2000 is a Limited Distillery Release for The Netherlands. It was distilled in 2000 and bottled at Cask Strength in October 2012. It matured in a Virgin Oak Hogshead with Cask # 9030 out of which 309 bottles of 700 ml were drawn. This BenRiach is non chill-filtered and no artificial colourants were added. It costs around 80 US Dollars.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: I do miss the Peat (Smoke) in this BenRiach as it combines so nicely with the Oak, Honey and Heather like for instance in the BenRiach 16. The Oak and Spices are a bit too dominant in the BenRiach 2000 although there are some very nice notes of Fruit and Milk Chocolate on the Nose. If you like Bourbons with a high ABV, this might be an interesting step into the world of Scottish Single Malts. I am glad I was able to taste a sample of the BenRiach 2000. But I would not consider buying a full bottle of it.
Jan van den Ende May 3, 2013
2 comments:
The nose sounds so delicious, and my mouth is watering immediately. Very nice notes, Jan. I will be looking out for a sample.
cheers
The Nose is nice indeed although it needs its time to open up. Too much Oak and Spice (for me that is) on the Palate and lacking a bit of Peat . This could have been a real winner. But still a well-crafted whisky. Cheers!
Post a Comment