Jan-Case
Benriach The Twenty One
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
March 14, 2021 (edited May 15, 2022)
I have not posted tastes as frequently as I used to because I have so many open bottles that I have already tasted here and therefor I am keeping it a bid slower while I try to empty them bid by bid. (I have ordered a bunch of new samples already though but those are for later months).
But today is a special day which made me open this bottle of one of my favorite distilleries. Occasion is that today we started making it official that we have our second child on the way which is due in September. A worthy opportunity to open something special.
So this whisky here is very new and counting back, it is a millennial whisky too. It is a partly peated whisky sourced from a variety of virgin, ex and first full bourbon, sherry and Bordeaux red wine casks bottled 46% ABV. I have loved most of the 15+ years old BenRiach whiskies I had in the past and all the features of this one sound amazing already.
Nose: very shy at first with a very mild peat note along a mixed fruit salad and dark berry aromas. A few more exotic fruits start to appear in there as well with mainly mango and some peaches. More fresh than ripe. Then some orange jam on top of curd with dusted cinnamon followed by white chocolate and warm maple syrup. At all times there is a very nice subtle peat enforcing all the aromas. Becomes increasingly sweeter.
Palate: fresh oak wood, a bid of pine tree resin, spicy vanilla, dark bread crust of Italian ciabatta, plum jam, then dark honey but really not overly sweet at all and more on the dry spectrum for sure.
Finish: light peat and some rough spices (nutmeg, bay leaves), not much of the fruits and sweetness left here but a nice constellation of flavors.
It is indeed a very tasty whisky and it feels really well balanced especially with that subtle peat factoring in. But I must say I am a bid surprised how shy it is both on the nose and the palate. I account that to the neck pour for now but even though it has quite a proper alcoholic chili burn I think 46% really isn’t doing it justice. 50% would probably have pushed it to the rocky peak but like this (for now) it actually really feels a bid elusive. I hope this will settle and fall more in place with some oxidation.
For now it doesn’t feel like 21 years really. It also feels like not completely worth the money tbh. I still like it but I’m counting on improvement. I will revisit it and adjust the rating accordingly.
118.0
EUR
per
Bottle
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@1901 @Jan-Case Lol I second that!
Congratulations. I second the Springbank 18 thoughts. Btw will you consider Ben as a boy’s name given your love for this distillery. 😄
@Jan-Case I was kicking the suggestion of Glenfarclas 25 as it does not break the bank, has mass-appeal (that is not an Islay peated) that I can share with close family that they too will enjoy and remember. I do like the your suggestion.
@Jan-Case i will check that out. Thanks for the suggestion
@Scott_E that would be an easy choice for me: Glengoyne 25y. I have that one on my wishlist for so long after having tasted the 21y but never found an excuse for that 300 €.
It goes quick. That 18 year old son will be 25 soon and be getting married this year. Planning, again, like you, a celebratory 25 bottle for the wedding day. Still yet undetermined which bottle.
For the celebratory 18 year bottle I am thinking either: Bunnahabhain Springbank Glendronach Highland Park These are my favorite 18y bottles. But I am not sure if they do annual bottlings so I can get a bottle filled this particular year.
@Jan-Case I initially thought "wow, a 21 YO to celebrate the announcement with - how fitting" and then I remembered the lower drinking age where you are 😂 I don't have a particular recommendation for an 18 YO, but maybe something approachable like a speysider would be better than something heavily peated? Congrats again :)
@jonwilkinson7309 @cascode @Scott_E @CKarmios @ContemplativeFox @Soba45 @PBMichiganWolverine Thanks guys. It will be a wild time to experience this again (my first born is 3 now) but I am really looking forward to it all. Them growing up brings a lot of perks as well. Every age has something enjoyable. I will buy a bottle of whisky on the due date that is 18 years old bottles this year and I gonna pop that open (hopefully with the kid) on its 18th birthday (which is the legal drinking age here in Germany). Not yet sure which one - so any pointers are welcome.
Congrats! One of the best days of your life. One of mine is now a teenage girl...the drama is a bit much at those ages
Nice review and congratulations! Seems so long ago our 2nd kid arrived but only 6 years passed. Once you get sleep again it's great times :-). Really loving the 6 and 8 yr age. Doing heaps of fun activities.
Congratulations, and a nice choice for a celebration dram.
Congrats, and great review!
Congratulations. Indeed a joyous occasion. I remember opening a Glenlivet 18 on my sons 18th while he was a freshman in college. It’s that special occasion whisky that you will never forget. Lol that I have many open bottles too and shy to open new until I finish. I however have kept adding. Running out cabinet space. Good problems.
Congratulations! Best wishes to you and your family :)
1) Congrats on the new addition to your family! 2) On open bottles. You’re not alone, I feel your pain 😀 3) Neck pours, eh? 🤔