Benrinnes 18 Years Old 1997 Provenance (46%, Douglas McGibbon, Sherry Butt #6506, 2010)

• 46% ABV,
• £54.95 for 70cl
• Score: 87/100

What they say:

A single cask bottling of Benrinnes by highly regarded independent bottlers Douglas Laing.

“Opens spicy and sweetly gristed on the nose, then runs to a cookie dough and toffee character. The palate is richly spiced carrying a butterscotch and soft leather quality. The finish is medium long, still spicy and sweet carrying late fresh pipe tobacco.”

Benrinnes is one of the few distilleries still using worm tubs to cool the spirit vapours – a process which is said to contribute to the rich, savoury nature of the whisky.

What I say:

Benrinnes is a whisky that is traditionally incorporated into many different blends. This independent bottling from Douglas Laing is an excellent example of a very unusual single malt. Bottled for Winter 2013.

Colour:

Full Gold

Nose:

Toffee, delicate cinnamon and vanilla

Taste:

Waxy, cinnamon and cinder toffee, honeycomb, fudge and pineapple cubes

Finish:

Long with deep sugary oak wood.