The Basics:
Do I recommend it?: Yes, very highly!
Availability: UK/EU specialty retail
ABV: 43%
Presentation: Unspecified
General information: Almost certainly first-fill sherry
Bottling type: Proprietary
Character: Heavy, meaty and rich.
Score: 94/100
The details:
One of the older distilleries on Speyside, Benrinnes was originally founded by Peter MacKenzie in 1826, shortly after the passage of the Excise Act. It was destroyed by a flood only three years after opening, and immediately rebuilt on the present site by John Innes. Through the remainder of the 19th century, the distillery underwent various ups and downs from fires, to bankruptcies, to ownership changes.
It fell into the hands of DCL in 1925, and it has remained under the ownership of their successor companies ever since. Unusually for a Scottish distillery outside the Lowlands, it began a partial triple distillation regimen in 1974, however, that was abandoned in 2007. Official bottlings are rare, with only a 15 year old in the Flora and Fauna range appearing regularly. There have been one-off OBs and indies are fairly readily available.
If you’re in the market for a particular kind of heavily sherried malt, it would be hard to go wrong with this Benrinnes; the only other whisky I’ve ever had with a similar heft and character is the now defunct 16 year old Mortlach from the Flora and Fauna range. It’s a big, powerful, rich, heavy, meaty dram, and is definitely not one for those who like their whisky subtle, delicate, or free from sulphur notes. This is an older bottling, and batch variation is a thing, but assuming newer bottlings are anything like this beast, I’d highly recommend that any whisky lover at least try this stuff–it’s highly distinctive, and as far as I’m concerned, delicious!
Benrinnes 15 (Flora and Fauna), 43% abv
Bottling Information:
Expression: Benrinnes 15
Bottler: Proprietor
Range: Flora and Fauna
Bottle Code: L8288LS0000 437
Presentation: Unspecified
Details: No specification on the maturation, but it’s pretty clear that first fill sherry casks have been used.
Price: $50-70
Availability: Any UK or EU-based specialty retailer, for example Master of Malt , The Whisky World, or The Whisky Exchange.
Distillery Information:
Region: Speyside
Location: Aberlour, Morayshire
Geography: Inland
Date Founded: 1826
Owner: Diageo
Website: https://www.malts.com/en-us/
Capacity: 3,500,000
Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Lauter; WASHBACKS: 8 Wood; STILLS: 6; HEAT SOURCE: Steam; CONDENSER: Worm tub
Total expressions sampled: 4
Overall distillery score: A
Tasting notes:
Nose: Full, rich, appetizingly smoky. Distinctively meaty, with a slight undercurrent of sourness.
Body: Full, slightly oily, mouth-coating.
Palate: Rich, smoky and meaty—beef stock. Salty. Deep and characterful; some waxiness. A touch of sweetness. Complex and balanced.
Finish: Fading and drying—not especially long.
Score: 94/100
Who should buy it?: Those who like their whiskies big and bold.
Overall thoughts: A formidable dram. Subtle? Not so much. But it is the very model of the combination of a heavy, worm tub make, with first fill sherry maturation.
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