Ben Bracken 25 Year Old 1991 Speyside Single Malt

Ben Bracken is one of the brands under which German discount supermarket Lidl releases single malt. They have quite a few out there already. Today I will try their 25 year old Speyside expression from 2016. Apparently this was bottled by Clydesdale. Tropical fruit and candy, those are the first things I get on the nose. Papaya, banana, mirabelles, lime, but also a bit of baby breath and Haribo bears. Mild spiciness in the guise of allspice. Very good nose indeed. The body is somewhat light, but I can live with that. Again lots of tropical fruit, but a bit more spicy than anticipated. Could this have been virgin oak? Lovely on litchi, banana, pineapple, plums and citrus fruit. The finish is medium long, fruity and feisty with a mildly drying effect towards the end. Seriously underestimated malt, probably due to the fact that it is available in Lidl. But I enjoyed it a lot. And 69 EUR is of course very affordable for a whisky that matured for a quarter century. Thanks, Gunther.