“Whisky Sour”
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: BenRiach Pedro Ximenez Finish
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 15 Years
Age: 15 Years
ABV: 46%
Chill-Filtration: No
Whisky Review # 588
Buying Advice: 😐 Neutral. It's not a bad Sherried Speysider but there is fierce competition in this specific segment. Aberlour, Glenfarclas and the Highland Malt Glendronach come to mind.
Colour: Dark Copper (Natural Colour)
Rating: 84
Chill-Filtration: No
Whisky Review # 588
Buying Advice: 😐 Neutral. It's not a bad Sherried Speysider but there is fierce competition in this specific segment. Aberlour, Glenfarclas and the Highland Malt Glendronach come to mind.
Colour: Dark Copper (Natural Colour)
Nose: Full and Sweet with a couple of Sour notes as well. The 1 Year PX Cask Finish clearly left its mark. Judging by the colour and the Aromas these casks must have been saturated with Sherry and/or Paxarette (Sherry Syrup). I do not identify any significant presence of Sulphur. I find Sweet Barley, Christmas Cake topped with Maraschino Cherries, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Caramel, Honey, Butterscotch, a mix of Dried Fruits and Nuts containing Raisins, Sultanas, Plums, Prunes, Figs, Dates, Apple and Walnuts, Marzipan, Bourbon, Red Grapes, Charred Oak, Dusty Shelf, Straw, light Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Clove, a pinch of Salt and hints of Dark Chocolate, Espresso, Herbal Tea and Tinned Pineapple in Syrup. It's not bad but a little on the Heavy side. The distillery character is practically "Gone with the (Sherry) Wind". Okay After-Dinner Alternative for Brandy or Port Wine. Unfortunately the Alcohol is not fully integrated.
Palate: The delivery is a little Thin despite the good ABV. The Alcohol is noticeable. On the Palate, this BenRiach is Bitter-Sweet, Medium Dry and Spicy with some Sour notes as well. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, a mix of Dried Fruit, Walnuts, Honey, Charred Oak, Dried Herbs, Orange Peel, Espresso, Strong Black Tea, Mulled Wine, Bourbon, Grapefruit Juice, Honey, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Clove, Menthol, Licorice, Dried Herbs and Dark Chocolate.
Finish: Middle-Long, Medium-Dry, Spicy and Bitter-Sweet. Some Sour notes as well. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Caramel, Dried Fruit, Walnuts, Dark Chocolate, Orange Peel, Maraschino Cherries, Mulled Wine, Bourbon, Pepper, Clove, Ginger, Menthol, Licorice, Dried Herbs, Grapefruit Juice, Charred Oak and hints of Espresso and Strong Black Tea.
PX Sherry Cask (Credit: Nosh Online)
I added a little Water and on the Nose Sour Cream and Floral Soap develop. Some Citrus as well. Quite different! On the Palate you get some extra Citrus, Vanilla and Red Berries. A bit too much Licorice and some Wallpaper Paste in the Finish. Still, you can certainly experiment with a little water here.
Rating: 84
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21
General Remarks:
The BenRiach distillery was founded in 1897 by John Duff & Co and is located in Longmorn, Elgin (Morayshire). It changed hands a couple of times in its history but in April 2016 it was bought by Brown Forman. BenRiach produced more or less 2,3 million litres in 2016. The core range includes the NAS Heart of Speyside, the 10, 16, 20, 25 and 35 years. On a regular basis, the distillery also experiments with peated whiskies and various types of Finishing.
The 15 Years PX Finish was launched by the end of 2006 as part of the Wood Finish Series. It matured for 14 years in Refill Ex-Bourbon casks and for 1 year in Refill Ex-PX Sherry butts, procured in Jerez de la Frontera in Southern Spain. The sample I'm tasting today was bottled around 2014. In the meantime this 15 Year PX has been replaced with the 17 Year PX. Therefore it won't be that easy to find the 15 PX. It's still out there on the Internet though with prices in the 60-70 US Dollar range. Depending on where you live additional taxes will increase the final consumer price (January 2017).
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
The BenRiach distillery was founded in 1897 by John Duff & Co and is located in Longmorn, Elgin (Morayshire). It changed hands a couple of times in its history but in April 2016 it was bought by Brown Forman. BenRiach produced more or less 2,3 million litres in 2016. The core range includes the NAS Heart of Speyside, the 10, 16, 20, 25 and 35 years. On a regular basis, the distillery also experiments with peated whiskies and various types of Finishing.
The 15 Years PX Finish was launched by the end of 2006 as part of the Wood Finish Series. It matured for 14 years in Refill Ex-Bourbon casks and for 1 year in Refill Ex-PX Sherry butts, procured in Jerez de la Frontera in Southern Spain. The sample I'm tasting today was bottled around 2014. In the meantime this 15 Year PX has been replaced with the 17 Year PX. Therefore it won't be that easy to find the 15 PX. It's still out there on the Internet though with prices in the 60-70 US Dollar range. Depending on where you live additional taxes will increase the final consumer price (January 2017).
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: The BenRiach 15 Years PX Finish is not a bad Single Malt. It might serve well as the occasional After-Dinner Whisky. Personally I find it a bit too heavy to consider drinking it on a more regular basis. I don't think it's a very well-balanced Whisky. It feels like the Sherry was forcefully imposed on the Ex-Bourbon matured Spirit. I'm also not that fond of the Sour notes as they are a bit strong. And, finally, it's a pity that the Alcohol is not fully integrated. The Price/Quality ratio is not too bad but I've had better Sherried Speysiders during the years.
Jan van den Ende January 12, 2017
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