BenRiach 11 YO Single Cask #26120 (bourbon)

The blab is going to be strong with this one, feel free to skip ahead.

Benriach, much like other blend fodder distilleries has a turbulent history. Opened in 1898, it was shut a few years after in the wake of the Pattison's scandal. No whisky was produced until 1965 when the distillery was purchased and refurbished for distillation by Glenlivet. In 1978 Chivas purchased Glenlivet and eventually control of Benriach went to Chivas parent company Seagram's, the capacity was doubled and a portion of production was dedicated to peated malt for the various blends of the Bronfman empire.

The eventual collapse of the once mighty Seagram's meant the facility was acquired by Pernod in 2001 (the same deal that gave them Four Roses & the proto MGP Lawrenceburg Plant). The early 2000's was all about vodka so the distillery was closed in 2002 and all it's stocks and facility sold to Billy Walker's Consortium and I think most of us are familiar with the rest of this story.

I did the historical run-down because I believe it to be of importance, those 3 distilleries (Four Roses, MGP & Benriach) have a reputation and a method that is directly born out of the strong arm Seagram's method but also the company's rigorous commitment to quality control. Facilities had to be multi purpose, using various, yeast strains, distillation methods as they could be called to provide spirits for one of the 250+ brands the company owned!

Yes Billy Walker's techniques of re-racking and finishing are well known now but it's also because the quality of the stocks they obtained was strong and of an incredible diversity.

Today's whisky is one born out of the decline period of this distillery. Distilled in 2001, bottled in 2012 from an ex-bourbon barrel cask #26120 at 53.6% ABV (a bit low for such a young whisky).

Nose: loads of confectionery notes, gummy bears, old fashion candy, vanilla, orchard fruit, very subtle tropical fruits with time. The sweet gives way to barley and a lovely waxy/oily side.

Palate: Full on musky fruits, loads of cooked apple, sweet oak, caramel, a touch of fresh juniper & nutmeg.

Finish: A pleasant old timey cologne/musk (Bay rum?), oak and more of that waxy fruit and powdered sugar.

Blab: The attack is sharp but subsides quickly into that ripe fruit thing. This is a bottle whisky. A sample doesn't do it justice as its too easy to dismiss it as perfectly fine. This is another bottle that made me realize I had to stop chasing heavy sherry casks. 11 yrs old and quite wise, not super complex but so drinkable and pleasant, full of little charms and fruity AF.

This is from the Brown herringbone tube era of single casks, I know a review of a single barrel whisky bottled 8 years ago might seem limited in it's usefulness. I purchased this 3 years ago, there are still dusties out there and some might pop up at auction at a reasonable price. Whatever permutation you find, they are superb purchases, the funny things is the newer outturns of single barrels have plenty of young whisky but never include any naked bourbon cask versions anymore, makes you wonder...

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