Kilchoman Am Bùrach 9 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay

Sherry, Bourbon and Port Casks, Ruby Port Finish

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured 

Peated around 50 ppm

 

 

 

In 2014, a Kilchoman employee mistakenly mixed casks of Machir Bay with others of Port Casks Matured. The General Manager intervened and decided to transfer the resulting blend to Bourbon casks for 6 years, before finishing it for 6 months in Ruby Port Casks. The result is called "disorder", which is the meaning of the expression "Am Bùrach" in Gaelic, and 10550 bottles were sold.

Let's Taste It : 

Birch bark, blackberries, cooked plums. Resin, which gives a nice breadth, bacon, smoked ham. Donkey sausage with garlic and herbs. The peat is not at all overpowering. Candied cherries, pomegranates, gooseberries. Fruity, with a slight acidity. On the palate, damsons, blackcurrants, varnished wood, gold dust, starch, spices, cumin, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon. Long, fruity finish, caramel, charcoal, prickly pears, hazelnut. Black olives. Dry earth.

In Short, 

I've always enjoyed the combination of port and peat, and I find this one really interesting, because bourbon is also involved. So the port isn't very overpowering, it's very fruity, a bit coaly, slightly smoky. For me, this is one of the best Kilchoman. The price is a little high, however, so keep it for connoisseurs.

Score : 88

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

   

                                          Angel Olsen - Lark

Kilchoman 2016 Fino Sherry Matured

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay

1st Fill and Refill Fino Sherry Butts

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured 

Peated around 50 ppm

 

 

 

They often use sherry casks at Kilchoman, whether in limited editions or in the usual range. But this is the first time they have used Fino Sherry. Bodega Miguel Martin casks were used, 12 in all, 11 first-fill and one second-fill. The whisky was distilled in 2014 and 2016, and no fewer than 10,500 bottles were produced.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The Sherry is heavy, thick and a little sickening. But it's tasty, with hints of lychee, tangy sweets, and a background of smoky, oily peat full of gravel. Like a factory in flames. A few candied cherries at the end, liquorice, maple syrup, pine needles. The palate is also very fruity, acidic, with spices, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, grenadine, strawberry, sandalwood, crushed raspberries. Quite a long, explosive finish, with wood bark, liquorice and mustard. Dark chocolate, coffee beans. Sandy earth.

 

In Short, 

You have to get used to this type of sherry, which is particularly heavy and sweet. Once this is done, there are lovely nuances of strawberry and raspberry within the thick smoke. It's very pleasant and will appeal to enthusiasts. The only downside is the price, which is high for a 4-year-old.

Score: 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                           Yngwie Malmsteen - Evil Eye

Line Up #11 : The Peated BenRiach

5 March 2022. 

 

 

 

A bit of history (those who are familiar with it can skip this part)

In the beginning, the BenRiach distillery was just a malting area. Named Longmorn 2, it supplied malted barley to neighbouring distilleries such as Longmorn and Glen Elgin.
Then, in 1898, it became a real distillery, founded by John Duff. But not for long, as it closed in 1900 for a very long time. It returned to its malting activities until 1965.
That year, it was bought by Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. It was completely reorganised and refurbished. Production resumed, but at that time only to supply blends.
The situation gradually changed. In 1983, peated BenRiach began to be produced, to compensate for the lack of stock on Islay, where two of the main distilleries were closing (Port Ellen and Ardbeg). In 1984, production doubled with the addition of two new stills. In 1985, the malting floors were closed after more than a hundred years of activity.

 

 

                                           The distillery's four stills
 

 

Finally, in 1994, the first single malt from the BenRiach distillery, aged 10 years, was offered to the public.
Over the years, the distillery has had a succession of owners. First Glenlivet, then Seagram, and finally Pernod-Ricard, who stopped production in 2002. And it was Billy Walker who gave the distillery its real identity and a fresh start, after buying it in 2004. He created the BenRiach Distillery Company group, with which he would later acquire GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh, and in the same year he developed a range that would make BenRiach a major Speyside distillery. In 2012, he even brought the malting floors back into use.

                                            The malting area                                         

In 2016, BenRiach Distillery Company was bought by Brown-Foreman, who planned to revamp the brand. The following year, Rachel Barrie was hired as Master Blender, and after a long period of work, she finally presented the new range in 2020. It was a success, and since then BenRiach has become a benchmark among Speyside distilleries.

 

 

                                            The warehouses
 

 

The Line Up Project

I think BenRiach is one of those distilleries with a strong identity. It's quite easy to recognise with its vegetable profile, made up of potatoes, butternut and pumpkin, and at the same time quite smooth, typical of Speyside. And as I'm a big fan of peat, I'm particularly interested in its peated products. Normally peat and Speyside don't go well together, but here the peat enhances the distillery's palette. That's why I thought it would be interesting to devote a Line Up to peated BenRiach. First the regular range, then a few Single Cask Bottlings, which they've been releasing in profusion for the last fifteen years or so. Is there really a Speyside peat, and if so, what makes it so special? How does it differ from Islay peat? Is BenRiach the distillery that best embodies it? These are just some of the questions I wanted to answer, in a completely subjective way of course.

 

 

 

The Tasting

BenRiach The Smoky Ten :A fine balance between the peat and the influence of Bourbon and Rum, but it does sway a little at times. The peat elbows its way out. Pleasant vanilla freshness after a while. Nice palate, quite suave, lemon and icing sugar, some spices. Mirabelle plum. Quite long and powerful finish, barley sugar, rose water. Score: 85

BenRiach The Smoky Twelve :A tiny raspberry that melts on the tongue. Discreet, bewitching smoke. In the background, the distillery's hallmarks, still earthy hay, barn. Radishes. A pinch of iodised salt. Cherries, gooseberries. All the way to the bottom, a charcoal depth. A very successful palate, dominated by vanilla, but with an enticing, vinous edge. Spices, of course. Warm and friendly. Quite a long finish, still fruity, grenadine, blackberries. Powdered hazelnut. Score: 87

BenRiach 2007 Cask Edition Pedro Ximénez Puncheon :A nose where the PX is very recognisable, heady, sweet, with dried fruits, caramel and marrons glacés. With a fine woody fullness. A hint of charcoal and earth behind. Vegetables, spices, a real ratatouille. Candied peppers. On the palate, syrupy, even thick, cherry, banana, gooseberry, with mahogany, some dried fruits. Very fine finish, wood, charcoal, caramel, but also sweet. Score: 89

The BenRiach 2007 Cask Bottling Oeated Oloroso Sherry Butt :The Oloroso shows great breadth from the outset, with dried fruits, very woody, leather, caramel, routine, but it's also very iodised, and in the background, it's earthy, with chestnuts, quince compote, or else pumpkin, butternut. The palate is closer to mahogany and hazelnut, with a sweet flavour of biscuit and yoghurt cake. Spices. Very long and powerful finish, a little fruitier, plums, green apples. Score: 89

The BenRiach 2007 Cask Bottling Peated Rum Cask :Hints of spring, wood and flowers, with cane sugar, vanilla and genoise. Light peat here too. Less successful on the palate, but still rustic and vanilla-flavoured, with fairly strong spices and telluric peat. Very long finish, with bamboo, exotic fruits, fresh milk and rosewater. Score: 86

BenRiach 2009 Cask Edition Port Pipe :The influence of the Port casks can be felt, and blends very well with the earthy, coal-like peat. It's fruity, but at the same time deep, rocky and a little pastoral. Good fullness, but not quite complex. On the palate, pleasant, sweet, tasty, red plums, gooseberries, slight acidity. Humus. Winey hints. The finish is quite long and pleasant, carving a furrow in the black, rocky soil. Woody too. Score: 88

The BenRiach 2008 Cask Bottling Peated Port Cask :The first whiff is of peat, and of a landscape of hedged farmland that I really like. The port casks are much more discreet than in the previous bottling, which is perfect. There's a freshness, and at the same time it's very fruity. A very fine combination. On the palate, syrupy, woody, spicy, with plums and blueberries. Lovely finish, very long, dizzying, on charcoal and clay. Score: 89

 

 

 

 

What I gain from it

• First of all, yes, peat enhances BenRiach's palette. It's a rustic, woodland, earthy distillery, with a hint of iodine no doubt caused by the use of highly calcareous water. The peat adds a charred nuance and intensity to the earthiness. With the country character, we find the humidity of the forest, a smoky haze that enriches the flavours. Finally, fruits are not left out at all, and the hint of iodine stands out a little. This gives it its own identity, with a more varied palette of touches. It's as if the peat deepens the BenRiach profile.
  
• So, of course, peat has something to contribute to Speyside. Speyside is a fairly green, fertile region, comparable to Normandy in France. Whisky will draw earthy, cereal and delicately fruity flavours from it. At BenRiach, we add a vegetable flavour that is typical of this distillery. But it's clear that a sufficiently fine and subtle peat can deepen this profile.
  
• Speyside peat can't be Islands or Islay peat. It has to be less strong, so as not to disturb the subtlety of its light flavours. Gone is the medicinal touch, gone is the ashtray, the open fire and its buckets of soot. Gone are the iodine and heady marine scents. Speyside peat should be as light and nuanced as the whiskies produced there. Slightly coal-coloured, with a damp, evanescent smoke, not at all overpowering, but foresty.
  
• That's why I think we can talk about a typical Speyside peat, and it seems to me that BenRiach embodies it best. The Speyside distilleries I know that use peat do not always do so with the same success. Balvenie, for example, I don't think the peat adds anything to their profile. On the other hand, I find that Benromach makes good peated whiskies, but not as good as BenRiach's Single Cask Bottlings, and their peat is less typical, closer to the profile of the Highlands.
  

 

 

                                           View of the warehouses

 

Conclusion

I think BenRiach can be congratulated for bringing peat to Speyside, and not as a selling point, not as a new gimmick. It's something that enriches the distillery and enriches the Speyside region. The new bottlings created by Rachel Barrie are very successful in this regard. While Smoky Ten is no more than an honest starter offering good value for money, Smoky Twelve is very good. And the Single Cask Bottlings, which have been around for around fifteen years, are sometimes outstanding, although a little expensive for my taste. I can only encourage the distillery to continue to use peat in their production, without it being exclusive, of course - there must be something for everyone.

 

 

BenRiach 2009 Cask Edition Port Pipe 12 yo c. 4834

 

 

 

59,8°

Distillery : The BenRiach - Speyside

Port Pipe

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

 

 

 

Among the half-dozen bottlings released in 2021 in the Cask Edition series (also known as Single Cask Bottling), no fewer than 4 have been aged in a single Port Pipe cask. With the same age, the same year of distillation, the same maturation and almost the same alcohol content, it would be a good idea to compare the four. This one was produced in 766 bottles.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Amarena and morello cherries, damsons, iodised charcoal. Quite deep. The peat mingles very nicely with all this. A very oily, earthy peat. Roots, tubers. Steamed potatoes. Bewitching smoke. Prunes, cereals, dried fruits. On the palate, blackberries, gooseberries, then spices, pepper, cumin. Woody, noble wood in humid weather. Muscat grapes, blueberries. Quite long finish, powerful without being explosive. Liquorice, lignite, cherry tree. Black tea.

 

In Short, 

The port casks go very well with the smoke. There's fruit, well-developed oak and a smoky, peaty depth. The whole is a success, without blowing me away. The price is a little borderline, but why not trying? Just for a comparison with the Laphroaig Brodir.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                           Envy of None - Look Inside

The BenRiach 2007 Cask Bottling Peated Oloroso Sherry Butt 10 yo c. 3071

 

 

 

58,3°

Distillery : The BenRiach - Speyside

Oloroso Sherry Butt

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2018

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

 

 

 

Still among the 17 expressions in Batch 15 of the Single Cask Bottlings released in 2018, this one was aged for 10 years in a single Oloroso cask, and 628 bottles were sold. I mention the cask number because two other casks were distilled in the same year and aged in Oloroso, but they were bottled in 2017 for the first, and in 2019 for the second.

Let's Taste It : 

Right away, the full breadth of Oloroso. Wet leather, young tree bark, a hint of iodine, pine honey, dried lavender, cashew nuts, hazelnuts. Cereals, sun-dried wheat, barley, a few stalks of hay. With the addition of water, it becomes a little sweeter, with hints of cake and warm chestnuts. Very woody on the palate, with lingering notes of dried fruits, walnuts and apricots. Spices, cumin, nutmeg, pepper. Black radish. Truffles in the earth, mahogany, cinnamon. Bitter wood. Very long finish, green tea, roots. Chocolate, tobacco, dry biscuit.

 

In Short, 

Once again, the Oloroso gives the product depth without distorting it, which is sometimes the case with Pedro Ximénez. There's something very earthy and farmy about it, while at the same time being sweet and fruity. It's quite a success and I'd recommend buying it if you can find a bottle.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           à déguster en écoutant :

  

                                           Jefferson Starship - White Rabbit

The BenRiach 2007 Cask Bottling Peated Rum Cask 11 yo

 

 

 

59,5°

Distillery : The BenRiach - Speyside 

Rum Barrel

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2018

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Among the no fewer than 17 expressions on offer in Batch 15 of the Single Cask Bottlings, this one is aged in a single rum cask, and has produced 151 bottles. To my knowledge, this is the first time a rum cask has been used in the Single Cask Bottlings (and also the last), but this type of maturation has often been used by BenRiach in the Wood Finish Series, a limited edition range that was produced between 2006 and 2017.

Let's Taste It : 

Spring peat, floral, with young wood, and of course the influence of rum barrels, cane sugar, vanilla, bamboo. Fresh iodine, damp earth, a few barely dug-up vegetables. Liquid honey, fresh milk. On the palate, like a vanilla custard at first, whipped cream, then the spices come out, quite strong, pepper, cumin. Juniper, violets. The finish is long and powerful, but a little harsh, woody, coaly, slightly citrusy, lemon and grapefruit. Crushed hazelnuts.

 

In Short, 

There was something wrong with the sample, which clearly smelt of petrol. But by airing it out and cutting it with water, I was able to rediscover the qualities of the beverage, which gradually overcame the unpleasant smell. I wasn't expecting much, as rum casks aren't my favourite, I have to admit that it was worse than expected. Still, the finish is very good, if a little aggressive, and the rum brings a certain freshness that goes well with the distillery's woodland profile.

Score : 86

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                          Agnes Obel - The Curse

BenRiach 2007 Cask Edition Pedro Ximénez Puncheon 13 yo

 

 

 

56,2°

Distillery : The BenRiach - Speyside

Pedro Ximénez Puncheon 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

 

 

 

After a profusion of Single Cask bottlings of all kinds these last few years, it seems that the distillery has calmed down a little, proposing 'only' 7 different Cask Edition for 2021. One of these has been aged for 13 years in a Pedro Ximénez Puncheon cask, and 664 copies have been produced. Curiously, it is reserved for the French market. Good, there will be more for us.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Very soft, very tender sherry, with that lovely sweetness typical of Pedro Ximénez. It works every time. Leather, caramel, quinces, dried grapes, chestnuts. Light peat in the background, rather rough, rustic. A little earthy, coaly. Asphalt, or rather cement, a bit of glue. Beetroot, eggplant. Very syrupy, liquorish palate, banana, then genoise, pastry cream, spices, cumin, paprika, nutmeg, saffron. Coal in the background. Still a slightly earthy and vegetable taste, with roots. Slightly vinous too. The finish is very long, racy and quite multi-faceted, with wood, but also caramel, cooked fruits, ploughed earth, brown coal. Smoked ham, a good slice of speck. With lingonberry jam. Fruit cake.

 

In Short, 

An excellent product, my favourite I've tasted so far from BenRiach, but I have to admit that I have a weakness for PX ageing, when it's done well, and that's the case here. The sherry influence is important, but doesn't close the door on the distillery's hallmarks, which makes for a nice marriage. The peat is fairly light and doesn't spoil anything, on the contrary. It is still easy to find, at a rather excessive price, but it is a Single Cask after all.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping  :

  

                                          Sigur Ros - Olsen Olsen

Glengoyne 21 yo

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Glengoyne - Highlands

1st Fill European Sherry Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2007

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

At Glengoyne, they only distil 6 litres a minute. Their motto is "Unhurried since 1833". Similarly, their casks are prepared for 6 years before being filled with the precious juice. Suffice it to say that the preparation of this 21-year-old, aged exclusively in European sherry casks, took a longer time. This is the top of the regular range, and its oldest expression after the 10 Years Old. It has since been joined by the 12, 18, Legacy Series and Cask Strength.

Let's Taste It : 

Exotic wood, just varnished. Beautiful charcoal fullness. Nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts. Dried grapes. After a while the Sherry takes flight, Christmas pudding, caramelised tart tatin, scoop of vanilla ice cream, cinnamon. You can feel the caress of the warm air that has malted the barley for hours. Some exotic fruits, kiwi, lychee. Quince jam. Coconut. Really good on the palate, still nutty, with apricot, slight acidity, spices, paprika, saffron, nutmeg. Prickly pears. Very woody finish, really long, with hints of tinder and Armenian paper. Chocolate and coffee. Chicory. Dry earth and oily charcoal. Maté.

 

In Short,

I was disappointed, especially by the nose, which lacked a little complexity and intensity, especially compared to the 18-year-old. That said, the palate and finish make up for it a little, though not enough for me to recommend buying it. In any case, it has become very difficult to find, and the price makes you smile.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Hania Rani - Glass

Talisker 8 yo Special Release 2021

 

 

 

59,7°

Distillery : Talisker - Islands 

Heavily Peated Ex-Bourbon Refill Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 22 ppm

 

 

 

From 2001 to 2014, Talisker offered specific bottlings for Diageo Special Releases every year (except 2011), but they were very old, from 20 to 35 years old, and especially 25 years old. This annual delivery resumed in 2018, but for much younger editions, 8 years old, except in 2019 when we were rewarded with a magnificent 15 years old. This year we have a juice distilled in 2012, having matured in second-fill Bourbon casks, which received a heavily peated Whisky for their previous fill. This beautiful baby, which promises to have character, has been dubbed The Rogue Seafury, but I haven't put that in the title, as it's written on the back of the box.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Salty breeze. Sea spray lashes the face, foam licks the boots. Tons of iodine. A hint of lemon vanilla. Beautiful smoky peat, but also very maritime. Heather, lichen, mossy grass. Sea water. Kelp, seaweed. Oysters, bottarga, whelks. Crab meat. With the addition of water, it's even more costal, very intense. On the palate, the same profile, barrels of kelp, foam, seaweed, seawater. Then come the spices. Lump roe, sea urchins, brine. The finish crushes everything in its path, very long, still very marinated and briny. A strong wave crashes against the coast, wiping the beach. A pinch of sand. Coal. Oak leaves, wood.

 

In Short, 

It's exactly the sort of thing I love. Certainly well peated, but above all very costal, which enhances the distillate without abusing the influence of the casks. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd have recognised a Talisker if I'd tasted it blind, it's much more iodised than usual. In any case, I like it a lot, and the price is decent. If you're an enthusiast, you should snap it up without further ado.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Television - Marquee Moon

Aerolite Lyndsay 10 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery Officially Unknown - Islay 

Bourbon Barrels and Spanish Sherry Quarter Casks

Independent Bottling 

By The Character of Islay Whisky Company 

Core Range

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2019

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured 

 

 

 

Atom Brands is a major company that owns the Master of Malt online shop and The Boutique-y Whisky trading company. In 2019, they launched a second trading company, The Character of Islay Whisky Company, specifically dedicated to the development of this island dubbed the Mecca of whisky. And their first bottling is this one, a 10-year-old from a secret distillery on the island, Aerolite Lyndsay being an anagram for Ten Year Old Islay. Maturation is 70% in bourbon casks, 25% in Spanish sherry casks and 5% in 'mystery' casks. Beautiful transparency.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Thick, misty peat. Granite. Behind, a rather sweet hint of vanilla. Vanilla custard, icing sugar. Wide wisps of fatty smoke. Tide, seaweed, a dash of brine. Iodine. Fresh breeze on a beach in the Baltic Sea. Coarse salt. Dust. Pepper. Graphite. Suave on the palate, the vanilla is back, still sweet, with a few spices, cumin, nutmeg, chives. A metallic note, iron filings. Green olives. Gravelly finish, charcoal, dry earth, rather long and quite powerful. Liquorice.

 

In Short, 

Overall, it's not bad at all, it's even a little more than that. If the nose seems conventional and lacks intensity, the finish seems pleasant, not so short and tasty. But it's still a little austere. I'm thinking of a peaty Bunnahabhain, or perhaps a slightly rustic Bowmore. First released as a limited edition, it's now a regular range product, very easy to find, at a decent price. Why not try it?

Score : 85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                          Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better