The Basics:
Do I recommend it?: God yes, if you can find it.
Availability: Sadly scarce.
ABV: 43%
Presentation: Unspecified
General information: One of two versions released around the same time, one at only 40% abv
Bottling type: Proprietary
Character: Spicy and fruity.
Score: 93/100
The details:
Speyside’s Benriach distillery has spent more of its 100+ years of existence on mothballs than operating; originally opened in 1897, during the boom years of the late 19th century, it was shuttered just 2 years later, remaining silent until 1965. It operated more or less continuously until the early aughts, chugging away providing fillings–including some peated make–for various blends. The ownership at the time made a tentative foray into official bottlings in the late 1990s, but never made a serious push to promote the malt, and the distillery was closed again.
Whisky industry veteran Billy Walker rode to the rescue, buying, refurbishing, and reopening Benriach, and releasing a plethora of colorful bottlings adorned with a graphic of the distillery buildings, many with integrity presentation. This lovely 20 year old dates from that era in the distillery’s history, although unlike many of the contemporaneous bottlings, it weighed in at only 43% abv with no clarity around chillfiltration or coloring. Regardless, the whisky was excellent–a rich, plump spirit with lots of spice and dark fruit. If you can find any for anything approaching a reasonable price (I’d say anything below $150 or thereabouts), I’d highly recommend it.
Alas, Billy Walker has moved on to other things with the similarly neglected Glenallachie Distillery, also on Speyside, and his group sold Benriach and stablemates Glenglassaugh and Glendronach to American firm Brown-Forman, of Jack Daniels and Woodford Reserve renown. While the new owners haven’t yet made a total hash of things, the charming bottle design has been replaced with something more anodyne and many expressions are no longer clearly integrity.
Benriach 20 43% abv
Bottling Information:
Expression: Benriach 20
Bottler: Proprietor
Range: Core
Bottle Code: 2011/03/08 10:23 10111
Presentation: Unspecified
Details: n/a
Price: Originally around $80 or so; if you can find any still at auction, it would likely go for quite a chunk more nowadays.
Availability: Auction, if at all.
Distillery Information:
Region: Speyside
Location: Elgin, Morayshire
Geography: Inland
Date Founded: 1897
Owner: Brown-Forman
Website: https://www.benriachdistillery.com/en-us/
Capacity: 2,000,000
Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Traditional with conventional drainage system.; WASHBACKS: 8 Stainless Steel; STILLS: 4; HEAT SOURCE: Internal copper stills; CONDENSER: Traditional column condenser
Total expressions sampled: 13
Overall distillery score: S
Tasting notes:
Nose: Charred, burned sugar. Lots of Bourbon character. Oaky. Black cherry. Spicy—cardamom? Coriander? Warm. Mocha. Pancakes with syrup. Pumpkin pie.
Body: Medium to full.
Palate: Very rich; rummy. Like a trail mix bar. Dark chocolate and espresso. Some apple notes. Maple sugar. Dried fruit (papaya) and black cherry. Plenty of Bourbon character. Woody, and slightly charred/smoky. Prunes.
Finish: Like sweet pipe tobacco or a sweet cigar, and very long.
Score: 93/100
Who should buy it?: Whisky lovers all.
Overall thoughts: Excellent stuff, utterly delicious. It’s a shame they didn’t keep making this stuff exactly as it was.
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