Littlemill 10 yo 1990/2001

Littlemill 10 yo 1990/2001

Signatory Vintage, Signatory
Single malt - Lowlands
Very pale green
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Leather, lemons, hints of raisins, sea salt, plums, hints of grass.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly astringent, turns watery.
Tasting: Salty sour. Leather, lemons, grass, plums, mint, hints of honey, hints of raisins.
Finish: Short. Mint, grass, lemons, honey.

Comments:

Cask #2958. Very light and sour, with a strong element of sea salt. Smells strongly of leather, but not quite peat, with a very light, short, refreshing finish. This reminds me of Moroccan preserved lemons, where the lemon is steeped in salt for weeks, then served up as a condiment with sprigs of mint. Very nice indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Blair Athol 13 yo 1993/2006

Blair Athol 13 yo 1993/2006

Connoisseur's Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Central Highlands
White wine
43% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Leather, lemon juice, lemons, coca cola, orange juice, bananas, hints of peat.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sour. Lemons, vanilla, honey, leather, lemon juice, orange juice, hints of peat.
Finish: Medium. Tart, lemon juice, leather, orange juice, vanilla.

Comments:

This whisky is surprisingly sour. It's tartness is mouth-puckering, and there's a strange sour aftertaste left on the lips. That said, there are some sweet fragrant notes that appear on the tongue, particularly honey and vanilla. A strangely fresh-tasting dram.

Verdict:

Not bad.

William Grant's Family Reserve

William Grant's Family Reserve

Official bottling
Blended malt
Dark gold
43% ABV
Bottle

Nose: Lemons, quinces, kiwi fruit, leather, pears, hints of orange peel, hints of burnt sugar.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Burnt sugar, salt caramel, lemons, quince, leather, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Medium. Burnt sugar, lemons, leather, salt caramel.

Comments:

This is an older bottling (around 1999), and slightly higher strength at 43%. Today's bottlings of this expression are 40%. Apparently this contains 25% WG distilleries (Balvenie, Kininvie and Glenfiddich) and up to 22 other whiskies in total. It is mostly pleasant both on the nose and on the tongue, but there's a slightly acrid hint of burnt sugar wreathed all around the fruity, slightly peaty elements. It's drinkable, but not great. I hope the later bottlings of this are better.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Benriach Distillery

Benriach Distillery
Longmorn
Elgin
Morayshire IV30 8SJ

Speyside, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Well, there it is. The 3 major flavour elements in Benriach whisky - bananas, lemons and peat. The peat, of course, is from the two peated whiskies that Benriach distillery produces (Curiositas and Authenticus), but all the whiskies display light notes of bananas and tangy lemons. The banana flavour is very unlike the sweet, intense banana notes one finds in bourbon. In Benriach whisky, it's light but flavourful, ethereal and silky.

The light banana flavours are in lockstep with tangy lemon, sometimes so tart that it tastes like lemon juice rather than the fruit itself. There's occasionally some bitterness that so often goes with lemon in whisky, but in this case I've caught it as white wine rather than lemon zest. The whole combination is rather refreshing.


All the Benriachs I've tasted so far are here.

Benriach 16 yo - good
Benriach 12 yo - good
Benriach 10 yo Curiositas - good
Benriach 21 yo Authenticus - good

Distillery history

Founded by the owner of Longmorn, John Duff and Co, in 1897. It changed hands several times, from John Duff to the Longmorn Distillery Company, then to the Glenlivet Distillers Ltd, then to Seagram, then to Chivas Regal (together with its sister distillery, Longmorn). When Pernod Ricard bought Chivas, Benriach was sold to a South African concern, Intra Trading. The distillery was silent from 1900-1965 (but not the maltings), in 1999 and from 2002 to 2004.

There are loads of official bottlings - 12, 16 and 20 years old, the peated Curiositas and Authenticus and several limited editions. The whisky used to go into Chivas Regal, I suppose Chivas still has some older casks it mixes into its blends. It also goes into Clan Murray and Something Special.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Springs on site
Washbacks: Eight, stainless steel
Wash stills: Two, long normal neck
Spirit stills: Two, long normal neck
Spirit still Lyne arm: ??
Production per year: 2,000,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

WL Weller 12 yo

WL Weller 12 yo

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Dark amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, vanilla, apples, bananas, cream, cornflakes, leather, hints of peaches.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, slightly foamy.
Tasting: Sweet. Brown paper, vanilla, apples, bananas, cornflakes, marzipan, caramel, leather, hints of peaches.
Finish: Short. Walnut skins, vanilla, photocopy paper, cream, cornflakes.

Comments:

Milky, rich, sweet bourbon. This is what I've come to expect from Buffalo Trace! It tastes just like before Christmas - at present wrapping time. Very celebratory.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 97.17 (Littlemill 19 yo 1990/2009)

SMWS 97.17 (Littlemill 19 yo 1990/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Lowlands
Ginger gold
58.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coca cola, vanilla, honey, strawberries, grass, hints of marzipan.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, oily, a little hot.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Vanilla, coca cola, strawberries, grass, lemon zest, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Long. Grass, lemon zest, vanilla.

Comments:

Sweet and luscious, nice sharp bite in the taste. This whisky would be great on ice, it tastes just like a coke float! Perfect for those hot summer days (like today).

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 36.43 (Benrinnes 9 yo 1999/2009)

SMWS 36.43 (Benrinnes 9 yo 1999/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Yellow gold
59.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, lemons, honey, new plastic, salt, hints of mint, hints of leather. With water, more peaches, figs, tamarind.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, thickens.
Tasting: Bitter sour. Tobacco, mint, peaches, lemons, mint, liquorice, tamarind, hints of salt caramel. With water, more peaches, figs, saltier.
Finish: Long. Honey, mint, peaches.

Comments:

Lip-smacking, a little tart and drying in the mouth. Nice fruity elements, particularly the tamarind, which is intense and very unusual. I also like the lemons and peaches. Surprisingly not sweet at all.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 35.27 (Glen Moray 10 yo 1998/2009)

SMWS 35.27 (Glen Moray 10 yo 1998/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Golden, tinge of orange
58.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, burnt sugar, caramel, raisins, marshmallows, quinces, hints of brown paper.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, turns watery.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Brown paper, burnt sugar, vanilla, raisins, quinces, hints of liquorice.
Finish: Medium. Brown paper, quinces, vanilla.

Comments:

This whisky was titled "Floating Turtles over Lynchburg" by the SMWS. There are some slight hints of brown paper and burnt sugar, which does bring to mind Old No 7. You don't often get marshmallows and quinces in bourbon though!

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenfiddich 18 yo Ancient Reserve

Glenfiddich 18 yo Ancient Reserve

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, raisins, peanuts, condensed milk, vanilla, chillies, leather,orange peel, hints of pear.
Mouthfeel: Light body, static, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Salty. Condensed milk, salt caramel, popcorn, chillies, raisins, peat, hints of leather, hints of pears.
Finish: Medium. Peat, walnut skins, pears, leather.

Comments:

This doesn't taste much like your usual Glenfiddich. Quite peaty, salty, and spicy. There's a lot of savoury notes and not a lot of fruity sweet notes. The Glenfiddich pear is very faint, and the usual accompanying magic marker notes absent.

Verdict:

I like this.

Benriach Authenticus 21 yo

Benriach Authenticus 21 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
46% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Peat, smoke, leather, lemons, milk, oranges, hints of bananas.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, static, slightly astringent.
Tasting: Sour. Peat, leather, lemons, peanuts, milk, smoke, hints of oranges.
Finish: Medium. Walnut skins, peat, lemons, leather.

Comments:

Cool and refreshing, tastes younger than it is. Slightly harsh on the tongue. The peat and smoke combine well with the fruity elements, but there's precious little hint of Benriach's characteristic light banana notes. Slightly bitter finish, but there's some interesting things going on here.

Verdict:

I like this.