BenRiach 15 Years Old 1999 (55.4%, OB, PX Butt Finish #9150, 694 Bottles, 2014)

• Category: Speyside single malt Scotch whisky
• Origin: BenRiach Distillery
• Bottling: Benriach Distillery Company
• ABV: 55.4%
• Cost: around £66.95

What they say

A UK-exclusive single-cask 1999 vintage Benriach. Aged for 15 years, this was bottled from an ex-PX cask in November 2014. Cask #9150, 694 bottles

• Nose: Warm toasted-oak spices flood through roasted orchard fruits drizzled with golden syrup and dusted with vanilla.
• Taste: Crisp green apple and pear sweeten to sultanas and dried apricot. Vibrant oak spices and soft vanilla pod warm and deepen the long, succulent finish.

What I say

Dram #3 at the WOLS Burns Tasting 22/01/2015 was this UK exclusive 15 year old BenRiach expression. Distilled in 1999 and matured for 15 years with part maturation in an ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry cask (i.e. single cask but has been matured in more than 1 cask – i.e. re-racked at some point)

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Burnt umber (16/20), Medium/heavy tears
• Nose: Nutty, walnut, brazil nut, hazelnut, almond, autumnal leaf mould, sweet, toasted horse chestnut’s, brown/demerara sugar, cane sugar, molasses, gentle treacle (not bitter)
• Taste: Sweet, toffee oak wood, caramel, caramelised sugar, raisin, crème brulee topping, walnut, brazil nut, pecan, maple syrup, dark chocolate, toasted maple wood and the faintest hint of sulphur
• Finish: Long, treacle, gentle and sweet, maple syrup and walnut persist

Overall

OK so its past maybe a little cloudy, however this is an incredibly nutty and deep sugary dram that I just loved! This hit my flavour profile completely! I found this a lot more PX sherry-influenced than the official notes suggest. Yes there were hints of the underlying bourbon cask maturation, but this was NUTS!

Score 90/100

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