BenRiach 26 yo 1984 (54,1%, OB, cask #7193, peated, Virgin oak finish)

Nose: is this a sherried Ardbeg? Or Karuizawa? Nice anyway, I really like the combination of sweet peat, embering fires and punchy spices. Smoked ham and sweet tobacco. Blackcurrants and dates. Pepper and nutmeg. Some cedar wood. It’s big in different directions and the balance is spot-on. Mouth: punchy, still quite smoky, spicy and sweet, only now there’s also a slightly disturbing sourish element (raspberry vinegar maybe). Dry oak as well. Growing herbal notes. Anything but subtle, even a bit over the top now. I’d suggest a few drops of water. Finish: long, spicy, drying and peaty.

I thought we had an absolute cracker based on the nose, but on the palate it gets a little out of balance. Recommended for fans of extreme whisky. Around € 125.

Score: 86/100

While we’re tasting the 2010 release, be prepared for the 2011 edition next week (starting June 20 at TastToe and ending June 25). This time it will be a 2002 Pedro Ximenez finish.

GlenDronach 8 yo 2002 (58%, OB for
Cask in a Van 2010, cask #4521,
Virgin oak hogshead finish, 312 btl.)

Nose: spicy like a new oak cask can be. Vanilla, a little mint and pepper. Some green banana. Also a few toasted notes (burnt sugar, burnt plywood). With water, it becomes very lightly tropical although the spices are still in the lead. Mouth: hot and gingery. Buttered toast and nuts. Slightly too sweet, a bit artificial (like commercial vanilla & cinnamon sugar). Quite some wood again with nutmeg and pepper. Hints of cake. Burnt sugar again. Finish: rather long and sweet.

A bit peculiar and uncommon for this distillery (although GlenDronach 14yo Virgin Oak was similar). The usual qualities of GlenDronach are not really present here, so I’m expecting more of the sherry version this year. Around € 50.

Score: 82/100

This BenRiach 1980 was matured in a new oak barrel. Sister casks #2534 (bottled for LMdW France) and #2535 (part of single cask batch #3) were bottled in 2006.

BenRiach 30 yo 1980 (51,2%, OB 2010,
cask #2532, Virgin American Oak, 181 btl.)

Nose: very sensual, with truckloads of vanilla and lovely hints of cotton candy. Deeply fruity as well: apricot, some banana, tangerine, strawberrries… Honey. A bit of chocolate. Invigorating spices as well, mainly pepper and cinnamon. A subtle hint of cigar boxes. Not immensely complex maybe, but once you’ve nosed it, that doesn’t matter any more. Mouth: still very fruity (apricot again, strawberry marmalade, more tropical fruits as well). Nice sweetness with soft vanill and a great “bite” of spices from the virgin oak. A little pine resin. Finish: long and spicy with fruits and mocha.

A full maturation of 30 years in new oak normally doesn’t work (the oak is too active and overtakes the original spirit) but for BenRiach it turns out lovely, especially because the fruit basket is big enough to counterbalance the spices.
Around € 160. Sold out…

Score: 91/100

BenRiach 19 yo 1991 (54,9%, OB 2010, cask #4389, Virgin American Oak finish, 306 btl.)

Nose: nutmeg and orange peel. Tangerine. A few nutty notes and roasted grains. A little ginger, vanilla and heather. Hints of butter toffee and freshly sawn wood as well. No excessive oak though, since it’s only a finish. It seems to follow the BenRiach tradition, only spiced up a bit. Mouth: initially a sweet attack on fruitcake and toffee. Stewed fruits. Hazelnut paste. A lot of cinnamon and vanilla, with a peppery kick. Finish: dries out steadily with vanilla and warm oak.

This BenRiach is sweet and really spicy. It amplifies the classic Speyside character. Very punchy yet very drinkable. Around € 85.

Score: 87/100

These are the wood finishes:

• GlenDronach 14 years Sauternes
• GlenDronach 14 years Virgin Oak
• GlenDronach 15 years Moscatel
• GlenDronach 20 years Tawny Port

The Tawny Port and Moscatel versions were matured in European oak sherry casks before their 18 month finish, the other two were bourbon matured (American oak).

Although they were available at the Wild West Whisky Fest, I waited until their charming sales rep James Cowan presented them in a tasting at TastToe.

Please note that we’ve tasted samples at cask strength.
I’ve manually tried to dilute them to bottling strength (46%).

GlenDronach 14 yo Sauternes (46%, OB 2010)

Nose: typical Sauternes influence: figs and melon with a buttery touch. Also a distinct hint of noble rot (botrytis) and flour. Apples with cinnamon. Honeysuckle. Mouth: sweet and honeyed with lots of barley sugar. Hints of vanilla and white chocolate. Finish: sweet, creamy and spicy.

This shares a lot of qualities with BenRiach 16yo Sauternes and should be a interesting alternative for Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or. Around € 50.

Score: 83/100

GlenDronach 14 yo Virgin Oak (46%, OB 2010)

Nose: this has striking hints of freshly sawn plywood. You know, the edge of the wood that is slightly burnt by the saw blade. It’s toasted, quite dry, with lots of vanilla and faint hints of glue. Nougat. Green banana. Actually quite pleasant. Mouth: spicy with hints of vanilla biscuits. Roasted peanuts. Nutmeg. Freshly sawn wood again. Finish: medium length and dry.

A peculiar profile with obvious woody notes. Not as good as the BenRiach Virgin Oak releases, but a nice introduction to the style. Around € 50.

Score: 81/100

GlenDronach 15 yo Moscatel (46%, OB 2010)

This sample was remarkably hazy. Nose: rather citric. Fruity but in a vibrant, slightly sourish way. Think of rhubarb. Stewed fruits. Apple compote. Yellow raisins. Apple crumble with whipped cream. Old roses. Mouth: more or less the same combo of garden fruits and brown sugar. Cinnamon. Marmalade. Some peach. Finish: grows more woody, malty and spicy. Nice evolution.

Well made, sweet, fruity and very zippy. Around € 55.

Score: 86/100

GlenDronach 20 yo Tawny Port (46%, OB 2010)

Nose: much closer to the original GlenDronach style. Slightly vegetal sherry with mixed spices. Some honey. Blackcurrants. A light hint of smoke? Mouth: rich, with darker port notes but a nice acidity of sour cherries as well. Sultanas. Chocolate. Toffee. Slightly herbal towards the end. Finish: long, herbal and spicy.

This wood finish is a little closer to the common sherry releases with the port adding a deep fruitiness. Around € 80.

Score: 83/100

As a general remark, all of the wood finishes were pretty well made. None of them were too winey or cloying (none of them were exceptional either). GlenDronach has a kick start for these finishes thanks to the BenRiach experience.

Also in the line-up yesterday were the regular GlenDronach 15yo and 18yo, and the recent GlenDronach Grandeur which replaces the old 33 years old.

It’s interesting to note that the 15yo ‘Revival’ was a new batch which seemed less sulphury and less dirty than how I remember the first batch, with a bit more fresh fruits. I think they’ve done some nice tweaking.

On the other hand I’ve always preferred the 18yo ‘Allardice’ and this is still the case. It’s fresher, polished and more fragrant, with lovely raspberry and hints of tobacco. I need to review this in depth one day.

GlenDronach Grandeur was the winner of the evening according to the tasting public. I agree. For me, the 18yo came in second and the Moscatel was my favourite of the finishes. Most people preferred the Port finish though.

This 18 Years old Yoichi 1991/2009 was matured in a virgin oak cask, which should make for a spicy dram.

Nikka Yoichi 1991 (58%, OB 2009 for La Maison du Whisky, new oak cask #129374, 453 btl.)

Nose: Houston, we have a winner! Really, just smell this and you’ll be instantly intrigued. Very waxy and honeyed, with floral notes as well as sweeter notes of peaches. Vanilla scented candles. Big big notes of honeydew melon! There’s also a woody side to it (sawdust), with spicy notes of cinnamon and ginger lemonade. Curiously farmy as well. Hints of leather armchairs. Mouth: rather hot at first and very spicy, with a peppery kick. The peat is more noticeable now, but not predominant at all. A touch of smoke. Salty undertones. Getting sweeter with nice hints of yellow raisins. Well balanced with the wood. Finish: long and warming. A round chocolate sweetness with tangerines and the lightest hint of peat.

Very complex and beautiful. It’s intense in different ways: the sweetness, the spiciness, the wood… they’re all very powerful and coated with gentle peat. Impressive. Around € 120.

Score: 92/100

Quercus Alba (American white oak) is normally used for maturing bourbon. It’s close-grained timber, very resistent to leakage or evaporation and low in tannins. There is a general agreement that new oak rarely produces whisky of an acceptable quality, but recently there has been quite a lot of wood research and results are getting very interesting.

BenRiach 31 yo 1977 (43,2%, OB 2009, Virgin oak cask #3798, 292 btl.)

Nose: lots of orange peel and fresh orange juice. Whiffs of green banana and vanilla. Also a little nutmeg and freshly sawn wood. After a while there are a few notes of pineapple. Orange infused tea and a little moist cardboard. Not very complex but very drinkable. I was afraid it would be too oaky but it isn’t. Mouth: rich and contemporary I would say. Starting sweet with the oranges that go on and on. Hints of sweet almonds. Growing bigger with some garden herbs and more nutmeg. Spicy vanilla cream. Finish: even more spicy now, with plain oak coming through. Nice development. Chewed pencils in the aftertaste.

If you don’t mind obvious oak in your whisky and you like the recent Glenmorangie oak experiments (Artisan / Astar / Signet), then this should get your attention. Very good although I expected a bit more complexity after so many years of ageing. Around € 165.

Score: 87/100

This concludes my review of this year’s BenRiach single casks. Overall very high quality with a couple of truly exceptional releases.