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Benrinnes
distillery which is located in
Aberlour, Banffshire, in the shadow of the
mountain which gives its name ot the distillery, was founded in
1826, but destroyed by floods a mere 3 years later.
A new
distillery was built and founded in 1835 by William Smith &
Co. who suffered bankruptcy causing the Edward family to take it
over.
Thanks to recession in the industry, prohibition in the US
and a general downturn, the distillery was sold to J. Dewar &
Sons in 1923, they became DCL in 1925 and SMD in 1930. |
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1956 Saw
a new distillery built
and then expanded further in 1966 when the existing three still
were doubled to six.
Benrinnes is one of the very few ramaining distilleries to still
have worm tubs in operation for cooling the spirit from the
stills.
Of
course, following various corporate mergers and take overs,
Benrinnes is now part of Diageo and has an annual capacity of
around 2.6 million litres of pure alcohol.
General whisky characteristics: Smooth, full-flavoured |
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OB Original
Distillery Bottlings
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Benrinnes,
'Flora & Fauna', 15y,
43% ABV
Original cost of
this bottle; €€€€€ |
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Glass:
Spiegelau
Colour:
Dark, antique leather
Nose:
Toasted raisins on
an open bonfire in a field of rapeseed. This also has sherry
with hints of leather and smoke.
Palate:
Cream turning to custard, then slightly smoky sherry followed by
lightly toasted almonds.
Finish: Very
long, slightly dry and offering hints of liquorice wrapped in
coconut
Overall Impression:
A very enjoyable dram best savoured whilst relaxing at the end
of the day, reading or listening to good music. |
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Benrinnes,
Managers Choice, 1996-2009,
59.1% ABV
Cask
8994,
one of 324
bottles
Original cost of
this bottle; €€€€€
Photo shows typical
Managers Choice presentation |
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Glass:
Classic Malt
Colour:
Extremely pale yellow
Nose:
Oooh nice, but this needs more time as I just
can't quite place things yet. As it settles over a few minutes I
begin to detect fruity wood with guava, but then not much else.
It#s far from complex and quite simple, but good.
Palate:
Lively and effusive with peppery vanilla and then
a mild fruitiness.
With 4 drops of
water:
Lots
of fresh light wood on the nose whilst the palate is lighter,
fruitier and has more 'tingle' from a light pepperiness.
Finish:
Long
and light.
Overall Impression:
Quite different, good and it profits from just a little water.
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Exclusive Malts, Benrinnes,
14y,
54.6% ABV
Bottled for
Whisky.com.TW
First fill Sherry
Butt, distilled 9.9.1998, bottle 364 of 689
Original cost of
this bottle; €€€€€ |
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Glass:
Classic Malt
Colour:
Teak with a hint of amber
Nose:
Rich
and intense with suggestions of dark chocolate, coffee and mild
Alpine cheese.
Palate:
Surprisingly creamy mouth-feel (in spite of high ABV) with the
suggestions from the nose apparent here too; dark chocolate,
coffee & Alpine cheese.
Finish: Long
with more of that cheese-iness right at the end.
Overall Impression:
Rich
and powerful, full of character.
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Hunter Laing, Benrinnes,
28y,
49.8% ABV
Refill Butt,
distilled Oct.1984, bottled June 2013
One of 133 bottles
Original cost of
this bottle; €€€€€ |
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Glass:
Classic Malt
Colour:
Pale yellow
Nose:
Fresh
with citrus elements, a suggestion of pineapple? Somehow
strangely reminiscent of new make.
Palate:
Again
strangely reminiscent of new make with suggestions of coconut
and pineapple.
3 Drops of
water: Much less citrus on the nose but still reminds me of
new make. The palate is now fruitier and less like new make.
Finish: Long
and fruity.
Overall Impression:
I'm a
little baffled here as this whisky is 28 years old but so
remiscent of new make (to me). Since tasting this whisky I
checked the official tasting notes and apart from the new make
references my notes do correspond to those, but as this sample
is from the last dregs of a bottle first opened 7 years ago I do
wonder if it's suffering just a little from oxidisation?
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Malts of Scotland, Benrinnes,
distilled 1988, 21y,
46.3% ABV
Bourbon Hogshead
#888, one of 175 bottles
Original cost of
this bottle; €€€€€ |
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Glass:
Spiegelau
Colour:
Extremely pale yellow, not far from water.
Nose:
Over-ripe pear,
star-fruit, slightly bitter leather.
Palate:
Creamy, slightly
bitter melon-flavoured ice cream.
Finish: Long
and fruity with a hint of spirit.
Overall Impression:
I'm used to sherry
cask Benrinnes so this is quite different, but quite enjoyable.
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Vive La Vie, Benrinnes,
17y,
57.6% ABV
Distilled 1997,
bottled 2016
Bourbon Barrel
#815, one of 194 bottles
Original cost of
this bottle; €€€€€ |
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Glass:
Classic Malt
Colour:
Pale yellow gold
Nose:
My
initial thoughts are of a clean and fresh nose leading into a
custard-y aroma with wild meadow grasses in the background and a
faint fruitiness.
Palate:
Distinctly fruity on the palate which I now think is a more
tropical fruitiness, perhaps mango and a hint of pineapple. The
more I sample this the more I'm reminded of those pineapple
sherbert sweets I enjoyed as a child.
Finish: Long
and fruity with a faint hint of coconut right at the end.
Overall Impression:
Pineapple sherbert sweets, almost offering fruity fireworks on
the palate. I love it.
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