Benrinnes 1997 17 Year Cask #9631 (Berry Bros & Rudd)

The weekend begins. A pour of Benrinnes 17, cask #9631, that has been provided to the SDT. This round has given way to some non standards and hard to finds. The nose arrives initially sweet, as vanilla cream soda. As it starts to open, the Speyside qualities come forth. Light brown sugar, honey, ripened apples or pears with some tropical pineapples. A pinch of cinnamon and ginger spice provides an edge or keel for the sweeter aromas. A solid opening that prepares the palate. The palate arrives spicy sweet. As time moves on, the sweetness is enhanced. The palate embodies the aromas with orchard and tropical fruits, brown sugar, ginger root. These flavors are encased in a medium light body. An oakiness comes forward as it delivers the finish. That oakiness is slightly drying and briefly crescendos with ginger and wasabi. The finale is slightly bitter oranges, though not with overtly. An enjoyable dram from nose to finish. It stays the course and is balanced with spice and sweetness. Solid. Is this worthy of a high price tag? No. But finding a dram may be worthy for the ride. Thanks @LeeEvolved for that ride. [87/100][Tasted: 4/6/18]

The nose starts off with a subtle sweetness from the oak. Vanilla, brown sugar, ginger, honey, tobacco/hearty tea bag and candied oranges too. The palate brought (not artificial) lemony tea meets miso/won ton soup. A short finish with honey and a little bit of a mocha note. Water brings out more fruit and floral properties, and it isn't killed by it even though it's only at 46 ABV. The theme for this dram is "Pennyroyal Tea" by Nirvana. This is one of the best of the Berry's independent bottles that I've had. 3.75. Thanks so much for the sample @LeeEvolved !!

I finally got back around to reviewing one of my own bottles that I supplied to friends on this crazy distillery tour: Benrinnes 17yo. This is a highland distillery that once resided along the River Spey. It was washed away by floodwaters in 1829, only to be rebuilt in 1835. In fact, this place has been destroyed and rebuilt 3-4 times over the years. They even employed the triple distillation process up until 2007- which I believe constantly raises the ABV while making the spirit smoother. This bottle is an individual cask (#9631) acquired by Berry Bros & Rudd, out of the U.K. mainland. It’s 17 years old (distilled in 1997, bottled in 2015), comes in at 46% and has no added color while being non-chill filtered. The nose is heavy with orchard fruits: apples and pears that transitions towards tropical fruit after a little time. Bananas and papaya fruit shine through. There’s an ever present, but restrained oak forming a solid backbone here, as well. Very nice. The palate echoes the nose: stronger oak, tropical fruits cover the tongue and hang around until the peppery finish. The mouthfeel is thick and oily. It’s quite luscious, actually. The finish is medium length and really smooth. More tropical notes linger on while releasing the pepper and heat as you exhale. Even after a few moments there was still an oily residue/feeling left behind. Overall, this may be the best bottle I’ve experienced from Berry Bros & Rudd. I’d also like to find a distillery bottling from Benrinnes. I believe they offer a 15 and 21 year old bottle that they blend in house, but I think price may be an inhibitor: over $300 for the 21yo. Yowza, that’s Macallan-esque. I think I’d give this one 3.75 stars and I’ll round up to a 4 because the price wasn’t too bad here. A really solid independent offering. Cheers.

Stop number 71 on the SDT is Benrinnes. This Speyside distillery is almost exclusively used as a blending component in Dewars produced blends. The distillery has been destroyed by fires and floods in its history and each time has been rebuilt and modernized. Up until 2007 they used what is known as a partial triple distillation, unlike the standard double distillation used by the vast majority of Scottish distilleries. I read what it meant, but most of it went over my head so I won’t try to explain it. This 17 year old from Berry Bros’ was distilled in 1997 (so it was produced using that triple distillation method) and bottled in 2015 from cask number 9631. Bottled at 46% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of a pale straw. The nose starts with a very nice creamy vanilla. I love whisky that has strong vanilla notes so I immediately too notice. Perfumed oak comes in with a powdered sugar sweetness. Toffee, caramel, brown sugar/molasses. It becomes fruity with coconut, plums, grapes, pineapple, a little peach and nectarines. Some light bourbon notes and a bit of lemon oil. A touch grassy/herbal and a hit of candle wax. More vanilla, honey and green tea. The palate arrives peppery but the moment you swallow there is an explosion of tropical fruits. Mango, papaya, coconut, and pineapple. Charred oak and leather, tobacco and honey. Mixed berries, cherries and brown sugar. A touch of wood spices like nutmeg and ginger. So very different than what the nose presented. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is mouth coating and dry. A long finish with oak, tropical fruits, a faint licorice and tea. What started as a nice vanilla on the nose ended with huge tropical flavors. I really wasn’t expecting that. This is a rare winner from Berry’s. At $78 it’s a very reasonable price for a 17 year old. The quality is there, but it’s not something I would want to sip on too often. It’s intense at times which can be a little wearing on the tongue. Thanks to @LeeEvolved for the sample. 3.5-3.75 Cheers

I am literally plowing through our round 5 of the Scottish distillery trading team. This one here courtesy of @LeeEvolved . I normally don’t drink this much, seriously. Really. I’m normally the the type of guy that wakes up 4:30, in the gym for an hour, then working my ass off making a living, till the weekend finally comes when it tae Kwon do to swimming to piano kid shuttle. And a drink only on Friday and Sunday. Rest of the days is matcha green tea. But...something about this round 5 that I’m just plowing through..,like I want to get it over with so I can enjoy the hot little tamales of bonus samples ( Macallan Rare cask and the Kilchoman Red Wine one, beckoning my name like sexy little sirens). Okay...enough ranting. Now...this here is a 17 yr old acting like a prepubescent teen. Much like today’s youth. It’s got aromas of bread baking in the oven, with a nice non-confrontational palette that is like your typical Stepford wife. Lingering finish...not bad. Like honeycombs dipped in chocolate. Not sure of the price...but it’s worthy of something you’d bring out as Balvenie 12’s older brother. thanks for the sample @LeeEvolved