ctbeck11
Benriach 21 (Chieftain's)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
January 13, 2022 (edited January 26, 2022)
Nose - mango, honeysuckle, dry herbal and floral notes, pineapple, hay, lemon pith, buttered toast, cereal grain, mild to moderate ethanol burn.
Taste - pineapple, guava, honey, lemon zest, ginger, allspice, banana, spearmint, cereal grain, dry oak, bitter herbal notes, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with tropical fruit, dry oak, and cereal grain flavors.
My last BenRiach is an old one at 21 years, three of which were spent in a rum cask. Wow, the nose on this is dry. Very grainy or chalky. The majority of aromas are tropical in nature with some pithy lemon as well. The palate is punchy. Mostly tropical and citrusy. And the graininess is also present. It’s rather rich, which I’d expect for the age, but the harshness is surprising. It drinks at least at, if not above, its proof.
I’m not loving this. It’s austere, and the balance seems off. It’s so dry, from the nose all the way through the finish. Those nice tropical notes are fighting to be heard and are largely dominated by the bitter, pithy, grainy qualities. Overall it’s better than average, but I can’t go higher than that. A big thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for providing the generous sample! My favorite of the BenRiachs has been The Smoky Twelve. I’d buy a bottle at SRP. I can’t say the same for the others.
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@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington Could be. This is the first one I’ve tried in earnest. I’ll be reviewing his Ardbeg in an upcoming series, but doubt I’ll have the opportunity to try many others in the future.
I believe @pkingmartin Chieftans Ardbeg seemed to come across as utterly dry as well but was beloved by others. Might be mistaken leaning toward splinters, citrus and grain as being their MO.
@angstrom @jonwilkinson7309 @Anthology It’s a shame, because when those single cask, cask strength picks hit, they hit so good. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t invite the three of your to our Discord server to chat in a more unstructured format. We have nine of the Distiller regulars over there already. If you’re interested, you can join here: https://discord.gg/MKNK8vxd
@jonwilkinson7309 @ctbeck11 - Yeah, IBs are currently on my no fly list. I figure sourcing the real winners has gotten much harder. Plus, admittedly, I tend towards the balance harmony end of the spectrum. I tend to really like the premium blends (JW Green, Nikka WFTB, CB Spice Tree, Red Seal).
@Anthology - A single barrel from a favorite distillery is less of a risk. I would roll the dice if I saw one for Talisker or Clynelish. Good luck!
@angstrom Oh no! I picked up a cask strength Chieftains Laphroaig 15Yr sherry cask. Figured it’s Islay + 1st fill sherry, it’s Laphroaig , it’s cask strength. With those specs, what could possibly go wrong (I thought)? And at the time, I also learned they were closing shop, which also played a role in making me pull the trigger. Your comments is making feel a bit of buyer’s remorse. Hopefully it turns out great 🤞🏿🙏🏿
IBs are definitely a challenge. I've become more selective after a number of "meh" experiences. Still, it's largely a guess. I read somewhere that Chieftains is shuttered (or the label retired). Although I liked this bottle a bit better than you did (the richness and tropical fruits on he palate won me over), my other Chieftains experience was a Ledaig bottle that wasn't bad, but Dr from spectacular. So I won't miss it.
@jdriip You might. I added some water after I finished writing the review, and that seemed to help some. Could just be that I’m not particularly fond of the BenRiach profile.
@angstrom IBs are difficult. I want to purchase more of them, but reviews are few and far between, and I don’t want to spend $100+ on a gamble. Reviews seemed to be mixed on Chieftain’s generally. Sounds like you had a similar experience to mine.
@ctbeck11 I have a bottle of this stashed away. Hope I like it better than you did 😕
About 4 years ago I went to a whisky tasting hosted by the owner of Chieftains at my local liquor store. I was fascinated by their business model but not their whisky. I did not buy a bottle. Everything seemed unbalanced.