Tastes
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Benriach peated cask strength batch 1
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed November 4, 2020 (edited March 7, 2021)(WoodWinters BenRiach Online Zoom tasting, 4th November 2020) Nose: Fruit forward, roasted barley, honey, vanilla, lightly floral Palate: Creamy, peat smoke, honey, apples/pears, warm ginger Finish: Vanilla, sweet wood smoke, sweet cocoa, dark chocolate, oak, leather Uses a range of full maturation in bourbon, virgin American oak and sherry casks. Peated to 45ppm prior to distillation. Overall, this is a very well integrated whisky. All of the layers meld with each other and the light sweet peat smoke lingers in the background throughout. Lovely mouthfeel and a great sipper. It was a toss-up between this an the Twelve for my favourite of the tasting. Both are very good, and very different whiskies. I was impressed at the tasting how easy it was to recognise a house style at Benriach. All of the core range and the CS are orchard fruit forward, with a well integrated vanilla.57.0 GBP per BottleWoodWinters Wines and Whiskies -
Benriach The Smoky Twelve
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed November 4, 2020 (edited February 14, 2021)(WoodWinters BenRiach Online Zoom tasting, 4th November 2020) Nose: Very light sweet peat smoke, chocolate, baked goods, vanilla, dried fruit, damp wood Palate: Cloves, light wood smoke, sweet, orange, baked orchard fruit Finish: Oranges, pepper, Christmas spices (cinnamon and ginger), light sweet smoke. Uses a range of full maturation in bourbon, PX & Oloroso sherry, and Marsala wine casks. This is another great introduction to a peated whisky. It's sweet and fruity with a nicely integrated light smoke, rather than a campfire heavy peated whisky. I was impressed at the tasting how easy it was to recognise a house style at Benriach. All of the core range and the CS are orchard fruit forward, with a well integrated vanilla.47.0 GBP per BottleWoodWinters Wines and Whiskies -
Benriach The Twelve
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed November 4, 2020 (edited May 29, 2021)(WoodWinters BenRiach Online Zoom tasting, 4th November 2020) Nose: Orange, dark chocolate, sweet dark fruits, berries Palate: Cherries, chocolate, plum/raisins/sultanas, cooked apples. Sweet & fruity. Finish: Sweet coffee, chocolate/cocoa, raisins, Christmas spices Uses a range of full maturation in bourbon, port and PX/Oloroso sherry casks. Weighted towards the PX casks as evidenced by the chocolate, cherry and dried fruit notes. It has a lovely, chewy and coating mouthfeel. A little numbing, but very pleasant to sip. It's not a session whisky as such, but I could definitely drink a good few of these of an evening! Possibly my favourite of the tasting (although I can't decide between this and the CS Batch 1). It is a very well integrated dram, but the depth of the PX gives it a great chocolate cherry flavour that is a bit of a winter warmer. I was impressed at the tasting how easy it was to recognise a house style at Benriach. All of the core range and the CS are orchard fruit forward, with a well integrated vanilla.43.0 GBP per BottleWoodWinters Wines and Whiskies -
Benriach The Smoky Ten
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed November 4, 2020 (edited January 3, 2024)(WoodWinters BenRiach Online Zoom tasting, 4th November 2020) Nose: Tropical fruit, honey, light caramel, light sweet caramel smoke Palate: Oily/ waxy, sweet light peat, cinnamon and ginger spices, maple syrup Finish: Campfire smoke, butter, salted caramel, plantain/banana, gooseberries at the very end. Uses a range of full maturation in bourbon, virgin American oak and Jamaican rum casks. Peated to 45ppm prior to distillation. There is a nice sweetness to the peat that is very different to an Islay. Quite a gentle introduction to peated whisky, and a nice hint of the tropical fruit of the rum. I was impressed at the tasting how easy it was to recognise a house style at Benriach. All of the core range and the CS are orchard fruit forward, with a well integrated vanilla.41.0 GBP per BottleWoodWinters Wines and Whiskies -
Benriach The Original Ten
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed November 4, 2020 (edited March 27, 2021)(WoodWinters BenRiach Online Zoom tasting, 4th November 2020) Nose: Sweet/syrupy, honey, pears, melon, vanilla, orchard fruits a floral hint Palate: Spicy (ginger & cinnamon), fresh and crisp apple, baked goods (pastries), sweet orchard fruits. Finish: A hint of sour, roasted seeds, vanilla, slight sourness at the very end. Uses a range of full maturation in bourbon, virgin American oak and Oloroso sherry casks. Overall, this is a very steady, easy drinking whisky. I was impressed at the tasting how easy it was to recognise a house style at Benriach. All of the core range at the CS are orchard fruit forward, with a well integrated vanilla. I was impressed at the tasting how easy it was to recognise a house style at Benriach. All of the core range and the CS are orchard fruit forward, with a well integrated vanilla.37.0 GBP per BottleWoodWinters Wines and Whiskies -
Rebel Yell French Barrel Special Finish
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed October 31, 2020 (edited February 11, 2021)Nose: Sweet. Cherry and vanilla. Palate: A little spice, more vanilla and some dark fruits (stewed plums) Finish: Quite dry for a bourbon. It has a dry, dusty finish that I really rather enjoyed. I’m not a huge bourbon fan - it tends to be a little ‘hot’ and sweet for my palate. However, I quite enjoyed this as a dram. It’s a little more dry and tannic than a typical bourbon and, for my palate, that’s t it’s credit29.95 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co. -
Glenturret 8 year 2010 (North Star Spirits)
Single Malt — Highlands , Scotland
Reviewed October 30, 2020 (edited November 1, 2020)(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow - Ralfy & North Star Virtual Whisky Tasting 30 October 2020. On behalf of MacMillan Cancer Support charity). Distilled in 2010 Bottled in March 2019 1 of 330 bottles Nose: Sweet, barley sugars, 'funky' sulpher, peat, BBQ smoke Palate: Sweet peat (not like an Islay peat!), smoked meat (BBQ), bread, savoury/umami, salt/brine Finish: Oily/buttery, earthy 'funk', sours towards the very end. Water softens this dram and improves it on the palate, but kills the nose. It's quite an old fashioned whisky style but that's no criticism! Came last out of the six whiskies, with 0% (0 votes) of the final vote for favourite of the night. I think it struggled as being last after some real heavy hitters and heavily sherried whiskies.57.95 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co. -
Bowmore 18 Year Old - North Star Spirits
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed October 30, 2020 (edited November 1, 2020)(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow - Ralfy & North Star Virtual Whisky Tasting 30 October 2020. On behalf of MacMillan Cancer Support charity). Distilled in December 2001 1 of 190 bottles Bottled in 2020 Nose: Fresh baked bread, salt/brine, penny sweets, rubber/plastic. A hint of disinfectant(?). A weird dusty note. Palate: Salt, smoke, vanilla, caramel, light peat, peaches. A strange floral note that I can't quite put my finger on. Finish: A long, long finish. Bright spices, salt, vanilla. Smoke/peat builds right at the end. This lingers for ages. It has a looooong finish. It's smooth, with some light peat and a fair bit of brine. Nicely layered. It's a little too floral for my palate, but there's no doubt that it's a decent whisky. Came 2nd out of the six whiskies, with 29% (12 votes) of the final vote for favourite of the night.172.0 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co. -
(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow - Ralfy & North Star Virtual Whisky Tasting 30 October 2020. On behalf of MacMillan Cancer Support charity). Distilled in 2005 1 of 596 bottles Nose: Lovely nose! Very fruity! Butterscotch, coffee, chocolate, stewed dark fruit, leather Palate: Spicy, a little 'hot', cherries, cigar. Very sweet and buttery. Finish: Toffee, caramelised sugar, stewed apples, cocoa, curry powder(?) at the very end. There is a long, long lingering finish. This is very heavily sherried. Warming, if a little 'hot' all through. The sherry sweetness really freshens and mellows it out. It's a winter sipper. It's a little too treacle-y to be a session drink, but very nice to sit and ponder with. Came 1st out of the six whiskies, with 43% (18 votes) of the final vote for favourite of the night.149.95 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co.
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Spica 40 Year Old - North Star Spirits
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed October 30, 2020 (edited November 2, 2020)(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow - Ralfy & North Star Virtual Whisky Tasting 30 October 2020. On behalf of MacMillan Cancer Support charity). 3rd edition 1 of 877 bottles Distilled 1980 60% grain, 40% malt Nose: Acetone, sherry, dark chocolate. castor sugar, wild berries and raisins Palate: Sherry, oily, smooth citrus, cocoa/chocolate, blackcurrant jam Finish: Waxy, orange, wood, tobacco, light spice. Heavily citrus at the very end. Lovely. Oily and sweet. This is quite a heavily sherried dram. It's quite unlike most blends with a high grain component. Very smooth. Came 3rd out of the six whiskies, with 19% (8 votes) of the final vote for favourite of the night. This was my vote for favourite of the tasting.124.95 GBP per BottleThe Good Spirits Co.
Results 471-480 of 652 Reviews