BenRiach Authenticus 25 Year

I decided to open a well-aged whisky in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2018. I’ve been struggling to drink through some subpar bottles I’ve opened since the early fall, so I made a mental note to drink better whisky in the coming year. So, I reached for this 25 year old BenRiach. This one is called Authenticus and it is supposed to be a peated offering. I bought this bottle several years ago thinking it would turn into an investment- I’ve read several mediocre reviews and that has actually driven the asking price slightly lower. I paid $380 and it can be had for closer to $325-350 if you can find it. It’s bottled at 46% and makes thin, oily legs in the Glencairn. It’s rich gold in color. The nose was initially sweet tea and caramel. There was a very light peat, but no smoke. After 25-30min I got a thick, fudge note that permeated the entire nosing. The palate was toffee, vanilla and sweet tea again, but it was ridiculously harsh for the ABV and the age. Earthy peat was left hanging around the corners of your mouth by mid sip. It also was hot and dry. The finish stayed hot with serious oak tannins and leather. The dryness lingered. Overall, this was a very disappointing dram- initially... Fast forward 3 weeks and I’m down to the last 4-5oz. I gave myself a hearty pour and was immediately smacked in the face with peat and smoke. The harshness was gone and it is a dramatically different dram. Oxidation really cured this whisky’s early ills. It went from a 2.5 star dram to a 4-4.25 one. If you buy a bottle or a dram at a bar make sure you give it some time or make sure the bottle has been opened awhile. The fresh bottle may not be your friend. I still don’t think it’s worth the $300+ asking price. I’m going to grade this one based on the last of the bottle, though. 4 stars. Cheers.

I went to one of those inter-city high schools. You know, like the type that have metal detectors on all the entry doors, and glass on the football fields. The type where the gym teacher got arrested for selling drugs to his students. The type where kids smoke marijuana in the bathrooms. I can recognize marijuana smell like a bloodhound after those 4 years of training. This here smells just like that. With a touch of honey. Marijuana with honey. Wondering if it’s just my batch ( a sample purchased from The Whisky Exchange) that came here to NJ from the U.K. via some farmacy in Colorado? Either way, it’s pretty good. Taste? Not bad...less marijuana , more honey and fruits. Brings back memories of high school and Amsterdam’s coffee houses.

A nice balance of sweet and savory. An aroma that is fairly traditional to Speyside though a tad exotic too. Dried chilies, dry peat, powdered dark chocolate, sweet malt, and Demerara sugar. The palate serves up a lot of the same. Dried chilies, chocolate mole, bitter sweet chocolate, aquamarine minerals, and a bit of liquid smoke. Exotic but perhaps not as complex as you may expect from a 25yr old whisky. Though this is yummy through and through. A nice dram for dessert.

I really think the reviewers on distiller are not in sync. They rate Oregon, or Washington hipster whiskys 98 while this gets a 84?? Every review of this whisky on drinkhacker, master of malt, ralfy etc rate this as an amazing whisky. There is absolutely no consistency on this site. Taste is subjective but if you're the only one giving this a shit review maybe you shouldn't be reviewing whisky...

I have to side more with the distiller review on this one. Faint peat forms a base, oak has mellowed the new make, hint of vanilla and contrasting bitternes, tea, leather tar. It's an acquired taste but the more I drank the more I got into it. I'd rate it mid 3's and at $250 USD that makes it not VFM.

Smooth. Smoky. Delicious. This is what whisky is supposed to be. Can't say enough good things about this one.