Single Malt Whisky, Scotland/Speyside

Benrinnes was founded in 1826 and bought in 1896 by Alexander Edward, founder of the distilleries Craigellachie (1891), Aultmore (1896) and Dallas Dhu (1989) and former owner of the distilleries Oban (1898-1923) and Yoker (1913-1918). Undergoing a full renovation in 1956, Benrinnes doubled its production capacity, increasing the number of stills from three to six. This bottling from Berry Bros. & Rudd was initially matured in a hogshead, and finished in a Pedro Ximénez sherry cask. Constantly moving, the flavour and aroma palette stands out for its extroverted and concentrated character, wonderfully pairing originality and classicism.

Nose: Rich, heady. The nose is layered, opening on camphor, floral notes of lily and iris, oxidative notes of raisin and wax, and herbaceous notes of tobacco and straw. Allowed to breathe, varnish, candied ginger and nutmeg accentuate its generous and extroverted side. Cocoa powder gradually spreads through the air.

Palate: Lively yet creamy. Like the nose, the palate is extremely dense, bringing medicinal notes (ointment, mustard poultice), fruit (pear, banana), vanilla and honey (lime blossom). With time, perfectly ripe white grapes release their sweet juices onto the tongue as a handful of nuts (almond, walnut, pistachio) spread their tannins across the sides of the mouth.

Overall: Long, well-balanced. Revealing balsamic and resinous notes of pine and cedar, herbal infusions (chamomile), powder (rice) and spice (ginger), the finish is just as concentrated. On the retro-nasal olfaction, marshmallow and violet and liquorice sweets softly seep into an after-taste full of menthol freshness, mouth-watering salinity and creamy malt notes (porridge).