BenRiach 2009 11yo Cask #8752 moscatel hogshead

Nose: Raisins, chocolate fudge, hazelnut nougat, mulled wine, a little warming spice. Palate: Soft arrival with the grape flavours being less intense but sweeter and more white-grape than expected. White stone fruits in the development (apricot, nectarine) and some plums and red currents later. Dark cherries and dates, and a warm spicy side as well. The texture was full, but not creamy. Finish: Long. Grapes, caramel and some toasted walnut and orange liqueur in the aftertaste. This cask was selected specifically for the 2021 Sydney Whisky Show and so it was not part of the distillery's official 2021 Cask Edition series, although it easily could have been. It would have rubbed shoulders with casks #8748 and #8736 (also moscatel hogsheads) in the warehouse, and they were included in the official release (to the Netherlands and New Zealand, respectively). I was a little surprised by the profile (but agreeably so) as I had expected something more like a PX or soft oloroso character, particularly considering that this whisky spent 100% of its time in one ex-moscatel cask. However it turned out to be more akin to bourbon maturation with a white port or even sauternes finish. BenRiach is always a bit weird and wacky to me – in a tasting flight there will inevitably be expressions I can’t stand and others that are immensely impressive. This was one of the good ones, veering towards very good in fact, particularly with regard to the finish, which was excellent. I almost bought a bottle but after consideration decided it was just fraction overpriced and could have done with a few more years in the cask. My tasting #7 at the Sydney Whisky Show, 15th May 2021. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)