Benrinnes 20 year old 1997 Cadenhead's Club

The Benrinnes quadruplets continue, with a single cask from Cadenhead's Club. The label doesn't state the cask type, and the bottle count falls between the previous barrel and hoggie casks, but whatever its vessel was it held tightly to its alcohol content.

Distillery: Benrinnes

Ownership: Diageo
Region: Speyside (Moray)
Bottler: Cadenhead
Range: Cadenhead's Club
Age: 20 years (15 Aug 1997 - 2017)
Maturation: ???

Outturn: 204 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 59.8%

(from a Columbus Scotch Night event)

NEAT

A bunch of stuff going on with this nose. Here's a list: shortbread, brown sugar, pickle brine (MGP style), lemon peel, and milk chocolate. It all kinda works though. The palate's more straightforward with its pastry crust, candied pecans, dates, and lemon bars. It finishes similarly with a hint of almond extract as well.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose is simpler, slightly farmier. Citron peels and taffy enliven the background. Simple and pretty, the palate keeps that pastry element, adding more sugar, cinnamon, and flowers. The finish keeps a decent length, favoring lemons and cinnamon.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Thankfully not as hot as I'd expected, this whisky's palate is the most easygoing of the quadruplets, though its nose proves to be a bit wild. Though I prefer it neat, it swims decently. I'm increasingly surprised by how much I like these Benrinneses...

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 85