Benriach 2005 Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength 17 yo

 

 

 

58,4°

Distillery : The BenRiach - Speyside

Refill American Hogshead 

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

This BenRiach was aged for 17 years in a single Hogshead, almost certainly Bourbon, and only 207 bottles came out of the cask. They went on sale a little later, around the autumn of 2024.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Rice cushion, vanilla cloud, egg yolk, lemon zest. Liquid honey, crushed almonds, bananas, then various fruits, pears, apples, peaches, all very ripe. It's slightly creamy, but also milky. Small acid sweets. On the palate, we're moving more towards white fruit, mirabelle plums, Chasselas grapes, white peaches. But also cereals, cracked wheat, malted hints, and a touch of chocolate. Pleasant spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger. Woody, fleecy finish, almond paste, mahogany leaves, chestnuts, essential oils.

 

In Short, 

A delicate BenRiach, more or less ethereal, but with quite a lot of fruit. I found it very pleasant, but with a slight lack of expressiveness on the palate. The price seems affordable, so fans of the profile can go for it.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Charlie Parr - Cheap Wine