Benriach distillery was founded in 1898, after a few different owners Pernod Ricard takes control in 2001 before taking the decision to mothball the distillery in 2002. April 2004 the distillery was reopened, it was September 2004 before the liquid started to re-flow. BenRiach distillery is one of only a handful of distilleries that have a floor maltings, after 13 years of standing dormant the malting floor came back to life.
Today’s review is the 16yo, it is bottled at 46% abv..
Nose.. As soon as your nose gets anywhere near this liquid it is awakened with lovely sweet honey notes, it is delightfully fresh and fruity, reminds me of the fruit salad sweets I used to get as a kid, a subtle spicy note rises on the back of delicate floral scents of cherry blossom and soft notes of green apple.
Palate.. Creamy butterscotch with vanilla and toffee bring the sweetness, fresh fruit in the form of plums with a lovely apple tart note entice you further into this delightful speyside delight. A little spice flows over your tongue in the form of cinnamon and ginger.
Finish.. The finish is lingering and sweet.
Thoughts.. My first thoughts were the palate was not going to live up to the nose.. Boy I was wrong, the nose was just delightful, lovely sweet notes balanced with sublime fruit and floral notes, one worth spending time with, but the palate was a creamy delightfully sweet well balanced mouthful of goodness .. STUNNING..
I just bought this few weeks ago. Can’t wait to open it now.
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