Country: Scotland
Region: Highland - Speyside
Brand: BenRiach 1991 (Mo Or Collection)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 19 Years
ABV: 46 %
Colour: Light Gold
Nose: Quite Floral, Mineral, Herbal, Earthy and Grassy with hints of Heather and cooked Endive. I also find Malt, Butter, Vanilla, Oak, Sugared Pear Drops, light Spices, Honey, Apple Vinegar and a pinch of Salt. The Alcohol is very nicely incorporated. Still, it's not quite what I had expected from a BenRiach given the fact that the 16 Year OB is one of my favourites so far on the Journey. This 1991 is not bad but just a little bit disappointing. Do give it some time (30-40 minutes) to open up.
Palate: Creamy and slightly Bitter-Sweet delivery with Grapefruit, Honey, Oak, Heather, Vanilla, Spices, Licorice, Mint, Toffee, Malt and Wax.
Finish: Quite Sweet and Creamy with Buttered Toast and Honey, light Spices, Fresh Cut Grass, Mint and Heather.
With a little bit of Water, the Nose gets more Malt, Buttered Toast and Honey and loses some of the Grassy and Herbal notes. On the Palate and in the Finish you get more Wood, Licorice and Spices (Pepper). As usual I prefer it neat but you can certainly experiment with a couple of drops of Water at the time.
Rating: 84.5
Nose: 21 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21
General Remarks: The BenRiach distillery is located in the heart of the Speyside between Elgin and Rothes. It was founded in 1898 by John Duff, the owner of the nearby Longmorn distillery. The BenRiach 1991 from The Whisky Talker/Mo Or (Gaelic for My Gold) that we're tasting today was distilled on the 24th of September, 1991 and bottled on the 9th of March, 2011. The whisky matured in a Bourbon Hogshead (Cask # 110681). A total of 300 bottles was reserved for the Mo Or Collection. It's priced at around 125 US Dollars per 50 Cl bottle. The Whisky Talker is an Independent Bottler from the Netherlands.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: A well-crafted and interesting whisky but very difficult to recognise as a BenRiach. It's unusually Floral and Herbal and the Honey is all over the place. I could do without the Wax and the Grapefruit on the Palate as they seem out of place somewhat as is the Apple Vinegar on the Nose. But those are minor points really. Certainly a whisky you could look for if the above flavour and aroma profile fits you. However, I think I'll stick to the BenRiach 16 as long as my bottle lasts!
Jan van den Ende September 11, 2013
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