Benriach Master Class - Part2/3

It seems like Benriach 12 yo is a big hit of the night, well, wait to see what I am about to reveal. Benriach 16 yo and 15 yo (Pedro Ximinez sherry finish) have further demonstrated the classic Speyside style and the fine craftsmanship of Benriach distillery. However, the 15 yo sherry finish is not very outstanding to my concern. I think it’s because it was “finished” in Sherry butt (primary maturation in American Bourbon), therefore the intensity of the Sherry character was not very strong (personally, I prefer full-sherry note when I choose to drink a Sherry cask/finish). I believe I have been spoiled by the good Sherry oaked drams from The Macallan I drank. I must admit that The Macallan is very good at crafting Sherry oaked whiskies even though I am not a huge fan of it.

Benriach 15 year old (Pedro Ximinez sherry finish)
Colour: amber
Aromas: chocolate, toffee, cinnamon, orange peal, fruit cake, sultanas
Palate: dark chocolate, tannin, sweet-dry, winey
Finish: chocolate, full-medium bodied
Comment: good to accompany with dessert or cheese. 800 cases per batch

The Benriach 16 yo is the “classic Benriach” dram and the favourite drink amongst the Benriach staffs. The vanilla sensation from the 12 yo was out-balanced by the toffee and caramel notes due to its cask profile (50% of the maturation was taken in 3 and 4 filled American Bourbon barrels). One thing that’s worth to mention here is that 75% of the content is actually 18 yo whisky and only 25% is 16 yo, but due to Scottish legislation, only the youngest age in the profile can be printed on the bottle. That extra 5.5 years (0.75 x 18 + 0.25 x 16 – 12 = 5.5, but of course, I shouldn’t work it out like this, only for entertainment purposes ~ ha!) of age had derived extra full to medium bodied character for this dram.

Benriach 16 year old
Colour: gold
Aromas: Earthy, dry, smidgen of peat, smoky, slice of honey, very little trace of vanilla
Palate: trace of sherry note (toffee), toasted caramel, sweet, full-medium bodied
Finish: toffee
Comment: got more hit from the dram than the 12 yo, a bigger drink. “Intricate”