BenRiach 16 Year

I'm quite a devoted admirer of BenRiach, appreciating their extensive selection and boldness in experimenting with exotic cask finishes while maintaining a great, traditional Speyside character. While a couple of their expressions haven't been my favorite, most of what I've tried has been really good. This is why the 16-year-old has been on my wanted list for a while. I'd tasted it once before, only to discover later it was no longer in production. Then, one day while browsing the shelves of my go-to local liquor store, I had a surprise encounter. In that shop, BenRiach is situated at the very bottom of one of the 'B' shelves, due to alphabetical arrangement. I was familiar with all the BenRiach bottles they carried, but suddenly there was an empty spot where the last Temporis bottle had been just a week prior. I crouched down to see if a bottle had been placed forward again (a bit of an OCD tendency, I admit 😉) and there it was: a very dusty white tube with a bright blue '16' printed on the front. I couldn't believe it – all this time, a bottle had been hiding behind the front row of other expressions. And it still had the original price of 54€ (about $64), while online it costs at least 50% more, if you can even find it. This particular bottle is from a 2015 batch and must be among the last ones before its removal from the standard offerings. So, here we go. Nose: I poured this neat into a Norlan glass, and after just a few minutes, the entire room filled with that very familiar BenRiach scent. Dried fruit, oranges, toffee, baked apple, raw grainy cereals, intense baking spices, a bit like fresh pale ale, sour prickly candy; generally leaning sweeter, rich with pleasant complexity. Palate: Slightly sweet, fruity, lightly spiced, with nutshells, dried fruit simmered in those spices along with orange oil, charred wood, and fruity candy drops. Finish: Oaky, with a good amount of herbal essential oils, slightly acidic like the aforementioned orange oil, less fruity and more focused on spices with rich cask-wood aromas. It concludes with a delightful chili tingle, accompanied by wood and spice notes. (Whatever you do – don't add water. It genuinely doesn't improve it; instead, it unnecessarily dilutes the spirit and disperses the well-integrated aromas. It reduces everything you've discovered previously.) A very nice and enjoyable whisky. Not overly complex, but it offers a pleasing contrast between the aroma and the taste, which are great together. I like it.

Nose: Sweet, honeyed cereal. Nuts, sweet white grapes and barley sugar. Apricots, orange zest and vanilla emerge over time. Water brings out a light peach aroma. Palate: Sweet yet drying upon entry - elegant and reserved rather than rich, which the nose might suggest. Cereal and malt develop, shifting from cereal towards a woody character in the finish. However, the mid-palate features many sweet and honeyed fruit notes, with orange oil and vanilla being particularly prominent. Some tannic spice surges forward towards the finish, but the texture is creamy and full. Finish: Medium. Sweet and fruity, even somewhat crisp. The lingering taste is somewhat like over-steeped English breakfast tea, but it fits well within the overall profile. The nose is especially sweet and fragrant - very honeyed and lush, representing an excellent example of a non-sherried, full-bodied "fruity" nose. The palate is creamy and fruity, but with a spicy element that becomes somewhat dominant mid-palate and might seem a little too strong. I didn't detect any particularly smoky notes at all - perhaps some barrel char, but no peat reek. Water has an unusual effect here, revealing both sweet and bitter/spicy notes on the palate. Overall, it develops more sour, malty cereal characteristics than anything else. It's interesting, but potentially a bit challenging. I would place its quality between the 12 year sherry wood and the 10 year old. Tasted from a 30ml sample. "Above Average": 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Aroma - Floral golden honey, more balanced light-fleshed fruits, light leather, vanilla, subtle milk chocolate powder. Taste - Rich, creamy texture, floral golden honey, dark apple/pear juice, caramel, vanilla, smoked almonds, a faint hint of coal/campfire smoke, nutty sweetness. Finish - Lingering gentle warmth, light smoky chocolate powder, dark caramel, fruity pear, slightly bitter fruit notes. Score - 80/100 Final Thoughts - This one was a bit disappointing in its overall experience because it captured more complex flavors. The addition of leather/chocolate to the light fruit/honey was nice. I don't believe it's peated, but it possesses this tiny hint of clean smoke, as if the stills weren't completely cleaned after a peated run or it was aged near some heavily peated malt. It was subtle and quite pleasant. No unpleasant notes and it maintains a nice creamy texture. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Perhaps Would I buy a bottle? - No

Nose: rhubarb crumble, a hint of chocolate, apple tart crust, custard, tiramisu, red wine, musty red grape skin, toffee Taste: salt, oaky, spice, red apples, winey, no peat, slight walnut Finish: salt, tea This smells better than it tastes, but the palate improved after some time in the glass, and again with a drop of water - becoming less salty and tannic. It doesn't resemble any other scotches I've had. In fact, it's more similar to some wine-aged Irish malts from the Cooley distillery that I've sampled. I received this 3cl sample in a gift set from Tasting.com, and the included booklet shows a picture of the standard 16yo, which is matured in ex-bourbon casks. However, I suspect I was given the 16yo Sauternes Finish. I tasted this alongside BenRiach’s Septendecim, and for me, this was the better of the two.

Initially, I didn't get much from this. I found it a bit 'ethanolly,' which obscured the flavor profile. After a few days, it opened up considerably more. Honey, vanilla, toffee, and the alcohol became slightly more balanced. However, the aftertaste is still a bit astringent. I initially rated this a 3, but after it opened up on the second tasting, I gave it a 4, considering the $60 USD price and the fact it spent 16 years in a cask makes it good value. Upon a third tasting months later, it seemed to have faded a bit, and compared to other 4-rated whiskies like a Laphroig PX or Bunnahabian 18, it's not in the same league, so it's back down to a 3. They really need a half-star rating system on this site!

Nose: Red delicious apples, vanilla, light honey, graham crackers, a hint of potpourri and non-sweet strawberries. Palate: Vanilla, light honey, and red delicious apples are prominent. Then, some graininess with graham crackers and light coconut appear. The strawberries become noticeable with a touch of water. Body: Medium, with some oiliness. Finish: Spicy with cardamom, cinnamon, Szechuan peppercorns, oak tannins, orange pith/bitters. A hint of potpourri. A slight bourbon-like cherry note. Overall: A very nice lighter scotch with excellent balance and construction. It lacks a significant 'wow' factor for a higher score, but it remains a very good creamy/fruity whisky.