This sherried beauty was a gift from my wife to celebrate that she didn’t have to bug me with school stuff anymore. She gave ME a present when she graduated. How cool is that?

I still have a little bit of this one sitting in the bottle and I only drink a dram of it when I am very much in the mood for a nice and relaxing night on the couch. No quick dramming from this one!

Nose:
Even far from the glass you start getting sherry notes after a few seconds. Incredibly aromatic whisky, this is. Full and sweet, but not thick or cloying at all. The 55.5% keeps the sweetness nicely in check. Clove and other woodspices are prevalent, but the woodiness is almost overpowering. Black cherries and other dark fruits too.

Taste:
Its very fierce at first. Much more powerful than I expected from a 31 year old. Chili pepper, some fruit and not much alcohol in the flavour. That is a good thing. At first it might be a bit thin, but it gets a bit more rounded when you let it swim for a few seconds. Lots of wood, but after the spices and woodiness in the nose, that is no surprise, though. Not too much, luckily!

Finish:
The finish is unexpectedly smooth. Full and sweet as the nose with a more creamy mouthfeel to it. Dried prunes and other fruits.

Wow. This is a terrific dram with massive sherry influences. It is woody enough to pass as a Japanese whisky, and has enough sherry to make a bodega proud. The whisky is always standing up to it without letting the wood or the sherry win at any point. One of the best thing in my cupboard.

I once thought this was a heavily colored dram, as you can read in the comments at whiskybase. Now I know better, but can you really blame me? Its as dark as coffee! The price has gone up over the last couple of years, but at € 180 its still very much worth it!

Benrinnes 31, 16-05-1975 – 19-10-2006, 55.5%, about € 180