The Whisky Dreamers keep a steady pace. In September we heard of them for the first time and now they already have a third batch of whiskies. Always from the most exclusive corners of the Malts of Scotland warehouse. Currently on offer: Glen Keith 1993 and Benriach 1996.
Glen Keith 32 yo 1993 (44,6%, Malts of Scotland ‘Rare Casks’ for Whisky Dreamers 2026, bourbon barrel, 158 btl.)
Nose: a very fine fruitbomb, full of peaches, nectarines, gooseberries and green mango. A lot of honey and warm waxy notes, along with some honeysuckle and vanilla cake. Almond oil. Over time it also shows a grassier note and mild white blossoms, adding a sense of vinho verde to it.
Mouth: even better than expected. Totally exuberant fruits, Bushmills style. We have pineapple, mango, papaya and hints of lime juice. Very juicy, who dropped the vitamin tablet? Later also creamy vanilla and a drop of calvados, as well as greener notes like mint leaves and eucalyptus.
Finish: quite long, now getting citrusy and zesty, bringing a mild bitter touch to the fruitiness. Pears, grapefruit and guava.
When we started discovering whisky around 2009, we were always on the lookout for fruity Glen Keith. Of course we had the 1970s distillates back then but also the early 1990s had great results. I’m glad Malts of Scotland decided to keep a few casks apart. Highly drinkable and the wood is fairly subtle, great!
Benriach 29 yo 1996 (46,7%, Malts of Scotland ‘Rare Casks’ for Whisky Dreamers 2026, bourbon hogshead, 236 btl.)
Nose: big vanilla notes up front, along with yellow flowers and malt syrup. Fruits as well, of course: whitecurrant, white grapes, kiwi and golden apple. Then acacia honey and lemon candy. Some oak in the background. Rather spring-like, nice but far less exuberant than the Glen Keith so far.
Mouth: indeed less bursting with flavour. Green apples and grapes again, some unripe pear and plenty of lime peels. Mostly orchard fruits here. Slightly more grassy touches in the middle, with unripe gooseberries.
Finish: not too long, with mild green fruits, a grainy touch and a beer-like malty note.
It suffers a little from the comparison with the Glen Keith. On its own it’s definitely a natural whisky with balanced notes and good freshness. Score: 88/100