BenRiach 21 Year

Rating: 18/23 This will be my 1400th Distiller tasting! N: Oily orange peel with malted barley that isn't all that sweet, faint roasted meat with a touch of char, full but restrained wood. I'm not impressed by this nose. It's fine, but not very complex, decadent, or interesting. P: Huge improvement! This has some burn up front, but it isn't harsh. It's sweet, with maltiness that brings in some caramel, but doesn't go over the top. It blends into sweet vanilla, with some baking spices (clove, cinnamon, and ginger) coming out. There's a touch of char in here as well. A little waxy orange peel. The palate is quite bold and fairly balanced, with a moderate complexity and very nice decadence. It's a very clean profile, aside from that touch of char. F: Lingering vanilla maltiness and burn. It's not a super bold finish. Hints of waxiness and the faintest cherry. Really, a forgettable finish. - Conclusion - This is a delightful dram. I think it could do with a little mellowing, so I'll be interested to try it again in 6 months. It's easy to drink now though and is quite decadent as well. I had thought that this was 43% ABV, but tasting it it seemed more like 46%. Turns out it is. I can imagine this being a bit more approachable and decadent at a lower ABV, but this works quite well. McIvor 17 (16/23) has more of an oily nuttiness and smoothness. This is also less musty. Honestly, I might have guessed that he McIvor was older, but that could be due to it having months to oxidize. Glenfarclas 25 (23/23) has much more of a scotchy funk to it and Christmas cake flavors. It's far richer than this. Lismore 21 (19/23) is mellower and lighter than this is, with more subtle flavor. This tastes like it needs an edge taken off in comparison. For a far-out comparison, I pulled out my bottle of Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered (18/23). It burns more and is a bit lighter, but it's quite elegant. This strikes me as slightly better. Westward American Single Malt Single Barrel Cask Strength (Mission pick) (18/23) is bolder with a more unique decadence that gradually adds nuance. I think that these two are quite close, but I also think that I underrated the Westward. I do suspect that the Westward is the winner here though. I'm going with a 19. This is delightful, but perhaps not everything one might hope it would be. And it certainly isn't worth the price (though I don't regret buying it). I like being able to taste the multiple cask characters, but I wish it came together more. Eh, I'm going to give it an 18.

Benriach tasting evening, Sydney, June 24 2019. Whisky #2 Nose: A shy but elegant nose with subdued cereal and floral notes - rice crispies, unflavoured yoghurt, pyrethrum daisies, peach and some musky vanilla. Over time the nose became even softer and more musky. It's pleasant overall, but rather restrained. Palate: Very soft and notably slow arrival mainly featuring mild spice, a little honey and dusty oak. The development brings gently intensifying fruity notes, spice and some curious funky oak. Dried semi-sweet apricots, milk chocolate and vanilla cookies. The texture is fairly neutral. Finish: Medium. A sawdusty and flat oak aftertaste with a little caramel. I found this to be a curious whisky. Not unpleasant, but too laid-back and undemonstrative. The BenRiach house style is apparent, but everything seemed turned down to half volume. The nose was the best part, being gentle and reserved, but the palate was tedious, quirky, dull and flat. Tasting it was like being on a train that took forever to get anywhere. It certainly did not project any sense of maturity to me - just a sort of resigned age. Intensity is not essential in a whisky profile, but for a relatively expensive dram this was uninteresting. I'd strongly recommend tasting it before purchasing a bottle, as you might be sorely disappointed. On the whole I thought it was only "better than average" and at the asking price I certainly wouldn't buy it. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Nose – Custard, ginger, honey, strawberries, pineapples, cereal malt, cedar wood. Palate – Thin to medium mouth coat, medium red fruits, caramel, white pepper. milk chocolate, and vanilla. Finish – Medium oaky properties with rhubarb, savory pie, slight leather and smoke. Delicate, and not intense… refined speyside… Water – N – Brings out more sugars, marshmallow, like Japanese. Apples and pears. P – Tames tartness and bring out more fruit/vanilla. F – Lengthens to long finish, but same notes. The theme to this dram should be overly complex, but still slightly miss the mark... Makes me think of "The Ancient" from Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes.

Yeah, that’s a BenRiach right of the bat. The typical Speysider with an extra portion of herbs and malty brittle. Very nice and deep nose - rich and sweet. Sweet and herbal on the palate as well with a fruity vibrance. Malty and oaky. The finish is medium long and leaves a spicey cola taste with some woody bitterness on the tongue. While this is a good whisky for sure, I think on its own it feels a bid to straight and one sided. But this would be a great base to finish in some exotic casks which BenRiach has some great expertise in.

Lighter in color than the 20 yo. The nose is even more delicate. Traces of Bordeaux? Sweet and candied on the nose. Tons of fruit. Apples and peaches and pears. Honeysuckle and vanilla. Tart and sharp on the pallet. Sherry and oak and spice. Gentle but complex. Not my favorite tonight at this tasting, but very very good. Great finish. Long and warming. Mmmm...

The aroma is complex - chocolate with red fruits, a winey feel of sweet grapes, sweet barley, and many other things in the background. The taste is light, fine chocolate with a very sweet feel of light sweet berries, again sweet barley, a little toffee, and cream. The finish is light, creamy, medium long. A feeling of cashews and fine barley remains.