BenRiach 20 Year (old label)

Nose: Sweet and delicate, with fruity (pear and apple) and lightly malty aromas. It has a confectionery quality, like bubblegum or hard candy, underneath. There's a white grape juice scent that develops into canned tropical fruit salad as it sits. Creamy, vanilla-tinged oak is also present. Palate: A sweet, creamy, cereal-forward arrival that is exceptionally pleasant and easy to drink. The flavors develop gradually and confidently, expanding into deeper sweet cereal notes, orchard fruits, baked pineapple, and honey. The texture is rich and enveloping. With time, the palate gains body and a more malty character. Finish: Medium to short. Sweet cereal and barley sugar flavors linger, with just a trace of honeyed oak and apple juice. The aroma is similar to some Irish whiskies I've tried, and it deepens as it rests in the glass. The palate also improves with further tasting, starting out incredibly approachable. This strongly reminds me of high-quality, smooth Irish blended whisky, specifically Midleton Very Rare. One of the benefits of slowing down my whisky purchases is exploring bottles I've had for a while. I bought this BenRiach in 2012, and the batch indicates it was bottled in 2011/09/12, meaning it was distilled in 1991, before the distillery's floor maltings were mothballed and closed in 1998. This is by far the most approachable and elegant BenRiach I've ever tasted, with a character completely different from the current range. It certainly supports the idea that BenRiach's modern success is built on the vast inventory of excellent aged whisky acquired by Billy Walker when he purchased the distillery. A 20-year-old BenRiach expression has been available since shortly after Walker acquired the distillery in 2003. Until 2018, these would have been blended from pre-mothballing stocks. However, their profiles changed significantly over time, and the current 'dark label' 20-year-old bears no resemblance to this or other older 'blue-on-white label' bottlings. For this reason, I created a new listing for the earlier bottlings. It's an elegant, smooth, and refined whisky, but it's neither timid nor lacking in character. It's a mature and poised spirit that should be enjoyed neat. Let its many charms captivate you without dilution. The price listed is what I paid in 2012; it would now only be found on the secondary market, likely at several times that cost. 'Very Good': 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Sweet raisin, dried fruits, a touch of smoke, and burnt caramel.