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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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January 7, 2020 |
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Time Warp Sessions,
today Benrinnes 21 yo
at kerosene strength |
Loads of new Benrinnes around, but I thought we’d rather have a short session with two bottlings that were both 21 years old when bottled, both at 60+% vol. Wish me luck… We’ll have many gentler Benrinnes soon. |
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Benrinnes 21 yo 1997/2019 (61.5%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #36.166, Silky, smooth and sweet, 2nd fill bourbon barrel, 194 bottles) 
What ‘smooth’? Smooth as in ‘smooth’? At 61.5% vol.? Colour: gold. Nose: I find it rather fermentary at first, with also notes of cauliflower beignets, but it seems to tend to move towards baguette dough, citrus and orange blossom… Water is more than needed here. With water: rather delicate, with notes of grated zests indeed, plus a rather subtle range of all things around fresh brioche dough and warm pastries. Orange blossom is back too, perhaps a touch of baker’s yeast, leaven… We’re at a good baker’s. Mouth (neat): potent, as expected, but really tense and lime-y, which bodes well for a fine palate once water’s been added with care and maestria (what?). Lemongrass. With water: very good, totally spirit-driven, as expected, on sweet citrus (liqueurs) and, well, with a feeling of focaccia. It really is all about bread and pastry. Finish: rather long, on some lemon tarte covered with meringue and grated lemon zests. Comments: it is not an obvious, sexy Benrinnes, it needs your time and attention, which often happens with good refill wood. Shall we call it Mr. Uncommercial?
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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Benrinnes 21 yo 1974/1996 (60.4%, OB, Rare Malts) 
Right, it’s not often that a Rare Malt would be the lightest whisky within a flight. Not sure this was still from a single cask, as other early RMs used to be unless I’m mistaken. Well, probably not, I’ve seen bottles sporting numbers in the high 3000s. Colour: light gold. Nose: harsher yet, as it appears, certainly grassier, with a medicinal side that wasn’t to be found in the SMWS. Camphor, eucalyptus (poor koalas in Oz, did you see that!)… Then all those lovely bready smells. Not sure the distillate has changed much between 1974 and 1997. With water: less fruity than the SMWS, more mentholy, more on grasses and herbs. Mint sauce. Mouth (neat): not too far from the 1997, but it does have more medicinal notes once again, as well as more menthol. Which, I theory, should mean it’s ‘better’. Let’s see… With water: perfect! Oils and citrus, plus touches of salt, marrow, olives, marmalade… Finish: very long, vertical, really very lemony now, but always with oils and cough syrups in the aftertaste. Comments: not the first time we’re noticing that Benrinnes could be rather stunning, as these two very ‘natural’ versions go to show. But once again, it’s no sexy dram and it will need your time. I rather hate to say this, but there, it’s ‘probably not whisky for beginners’. Yeah right, no single Rare Malt was anyway. Gosh we’re missing the Rare Malts!
SGP:461 - 89 points. |
A little bonus, just in from Hong Kong… (another 21!) |
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Benrinnes 21 yo 1997/2019 (52.8%, Signatory Vintage for Club Qing & Shinanoya, sherry hogshead, cask #9747, 221 bottles)
Looks like Signatory’s older livery is back. The retro wave keeps striking us, shall we soon see new goatskins of whisky? Colour: coffee. Nose: coffee. Seriously, this is well a sherry bomb, well in Signatory’s style (Glenlivet, Braeval…) with touches of metal and wax polishes at first, then coffee, chocolate and prunes. It’s also got the lovely roundness of some proper old ex-solera PX, which is not exactly the same thing as those ‘PX’ they use to season bespoke whisky casks. Malaga currants. With water: this is not unseen, a development on tiny meaty tones, ad drop of soy sauce, pipe tobacco, some kind of waxy almonds… Mouth (neat): powerful and rich, not inelegant (?), with quite some cracked pepper and blackcurrants right in the arrival, which is a tad unusual. Then wild raspberry eaux-de-vie, ganache, prunes again, some rather rustic armagnac (Ténarèze) and a few cranberry drops. Ricola have got some, said to be packed with vitamin C and to ‘provide a soothing, refreshing experience for the mouth and throat.’ All right then, but isn’t that the definition of whisky? With water: less ‘mellow and silky’ than the nose had suggested, and indeed rather rustic again, but really seriously good. A touch of salty mint sauce. Finish: a tad bitter, leafy, with green walnuts, plants extracts… Comments: I believe it struggled a wee bit on the palate once diluted, getting bitterish, but what had happened before had been just perfect.
SGP:461 - 87 points. |
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