A while ago there was a combination deal on the two regularly available BenRiach 25s, the normal one and the peated one. Of course, that was cause enough for a bottle-share. With me it always takes a while before everything is shipped, but now all of them are underway, or at their destination (except one).
Regular readers of this blog might have picked up on the fact that I generally really like BenRiach, especially since my wife and I visited the distillery in 2013 on our holiday. We got an awesome tour with a pretty kick-ass tasting in the warehouse afterwards. Some really good drams were had (and sampled since I had to drive).
Their 25 year old is normally available, but the pricing is quite varied. Whiskybase has prices varying from € 160 to € 220, and I bet there’s shops with higher price tags. Compared to other official 25 year olds I find € 160 pretty good value for money, especially at the increased ABV of 50%.
Image from Whiskybase
Sniff:
The nose is slightly spicy with wood spices and tobacco. Crusty bread, rye bread but also a layer of fruits. Even though it’s not the peated whisky, I do get the idea of a wee bit of peat in this dram.
Sip:
The palate is slightly peppery and therefore a tad sharp. Spices, bread crust again. It does get a bit sweeter and more malty.
Swallow:
The finish is dry with wood spices again, cinnamon mostly. Long, spiced biscuits (speculaas) and oak.
This is not the most complex 25 year old whisky I’ve ever had, but it sure is tasty. I think, compared to a lot of others this might be the best regular OB from BenRiach distillery. Their 16 and 20 year olds are not very good in my opinion but this one has an added layer of richness and focuses heavily on subtle oak influences. From spices, to oak and a tad of fruit on the nose.
I really enjoy this whisky, and I think a sub-200-euro price tag is right for this one. I wouldn’t go overboard and spend more than 200 bucks on this since I think you can get a better dram for that money. Or at least, I like to think we live in a world where this is possible.
BenRiach 25, 50%. Generally available, with highly varying prices.
