BenRiach 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Next up for Month 4 is BenRiach 16 Year Old from Speyside in Scotland. Being one of the smaller distilleries and perhaps a little less known than some of the big ones gives the guys at BenRiach an advantage allowing them to be more innovative with some of their whisky styles. Differing from the 12 year old version the story is that the majority of this whisky is actually 18 years old. 40% of the whisky is finished for 4-5 years in ex-olorosso sherry casks. This recently won “Best Speyside Single Malt” at the 2015 World Whiskies Awards.
What the distiller says:
NOSE - Honey, vanilla, floral, and fruity with well-balanced wood overtones.
COLOUR - Mid-amber, hints of gold.
TASTE - Rounded medium to full bodied, rich honey, vanilla with hints of cream, spices, toffee and apples.
NOSE - Honey, vanilla, floral, and fruity with well-balanced wood overtones.
COLOUR - Mid-amber, hints of gold.
TASTE - Rounded medium to full bodied, rich honey, vanilla with hints of cream, spices, toffee and apples.
What Mal says:
The smell of this whisky is crisp, clean and smooth with vanilla and slight burnt tones coming through. I can’t wait to taste it. There is a lot of goodness in this glass. Initially the same vanilla I noticed when I smelt the whisky. Following that the burnt flavours came through last a lot longer on the palate before being replaced by the lingering spices.