Benrinnes 1999 15 Year Old Malt Cask

Rating: 12/23 Following the 2002 vintage 11 year old Benrinnes from Hepburn's choice, this is my second Benrinnes; however, it's my first Old Malt Cask. A day full of new sensations. Nose: Even after a couple of minutes, there's not much aroma. It smells somewhat like cooked barley with a drop of unscented dish soap. Swirling the glass reveals a faint nutty toastiness. I'm also detecting some ethanol. It's a really unappealing nose. Palate: Perhaps not as thick as I anticipated, but not exactly watery. There's a significant burn, making it harsh. Beneath that, however, is a truly interesting profile with various unrefined distillery flavors, including toastiness, nuttiness, waxiness, some caramel, and a little vanilla. It lacks prominent sulfur but possesses many characteristics reminiscent of Springbank, Old Pulteney, and Clynelish. It's not as intense as those, but it shares similarities. It has a pleasant fruitiness that is less common in those, though. It's not overpowering, but there's a bit of tangerine and orange peel. The robust malt is also noticeable here. The spice notes include cinnamon and a touch of allspice, with surprisingly little wood influence. Finish: Toasted grain, a little sweet malt, and some subtle unrefined distillery notes. - Conclusion - This isn't immediately or obviously superior to Hepburn's Choice Benrinnes 11 (2002) (rated 10/23). The Hepburn's has considerably more enjoyable fruit. That said, this doesn't burn any more than the Hepburn's, despite the higher proof. It also has a lot of appealing unrefined character. Old Pulteney 12 (rated 14/23) is a bit more muddled than this, but it's richer and has more unrefined character. Flavor-wise, this is quite similar to the Old Pulteney. This is milder but less muddled. I believe I'd give this a slight advantage in flavor, but its harshness detracts from it. Given the harshness, I must rank this below the Old Pulteney, though it is certainly above the Hepburn's. As a side note, it's strange that the older Benrinnes exhibits so much more unrefined distillery flavor. I would have expected the extra age to reduce it more. Anyway, this falls between an 11 and a 13. Considering the burn, I'm hesitant to give it a 13. Oh, I just exhaled a bit of ethanol from this. That's all I needed to lower it to a 12. As a final check, I took a sip of Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star (rated 12/23). It offers decent balance and complexity compared to this, with no burn. This is definitely more refined and tastes better, but the burn and ethanol are quite apparent in comparison. I am now convinced this is either an 11 or a 12. I'm settling on a 12.