BenRiach 22 Year Old 1989 Sauternes Finish

BenRiach releases single casks at cask strength since 2004. By 2011 they had already reached batch 8, which contains no less than 12 single cask releases. This is one of the younger, a 22 Year Old Speysider, finished on Sauternes, the well known French dessert wine. I am expecting a sweet BenRiach.

Ah, the nose is wonderfully fruity, almost tropical. Yep, all sorts of fruits, but the main aroma, without a doubt, is juicy pineapple. Some vanilla and even almonds with a hint of citrus. Baked apples on cinnamon, too. Fresh and crispy.

It is slightly creamy on the palate, softly spiced with pepper and cinnamon, and again very fresh and fruity. Pineapple, melon, citrus. But midpalate it becomes honeysweet. Too sweet to my taste. Who would have thought?

The medium length finish remains utterly sweet.

Argh, it started off so well with that almost tropical nose. But on the palate, it became a bit too much. A bottle will set you back around 95 EUR, which is fair for a single cask of this age. But the regular release, the BenRiach 16 Year Old Sauternes, is more to my liking.

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