Whisky : BenRiach 20 Year (Peated PX), State of New Hampshire Exclusive

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 51.7%

Cask : PX Sherry Puncheon

Age : 20 Years (Distilled 1994, Bottled Oct. 2014)

Nose : Brown sugar, old sun-bleached wooden picnic table, melting cherry juice pops, and woody stone fruit pits.  The mix of sugars, wood notes, and fruits takes me right back to a hot July afternoon.  Notes of chocolate covered cherries and chocolate soufflé offer dessert, while a subtle barbecue pit smoke emerges.

Palate : Medium to heavy body with nice oiliness up front and dryness on the end.  Flat cherry cola, ginger ale, brown sugar caramelizing on a ham, and maple syrup over burnt pancakes.  Wood spices join the meaty sugars along with leather and dried out stale tobacco.  A bit of water brought forward more well-worn antique furniture, bitter herbs, and pepper on the end.

Finish : Medium length dry herbal spice and sweet cherry pits.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Popsicles for the Grill Attendant

Something Better : Benriach 6Y; Duncan Taylor Octave (similar meaty ham & spice, longer finish)

Something Worse : Longrow Red 13Y Malbec (similar cherry cola notes & char, more berries)

Something Similar : Balcones Brujería (similar cola, wood, and spice, more fruits/funk)

Notes :  Bam— a blast of summer heat just as we swing in for some chillier weather.  This peated BenRiach was loaded with wood, fruit, meat, and a subtle smoke in the background.  The combination of flavors reminded me of popsicles melting on picnic tables, the fragrant smoke of a grill pit starting to smoke, and the taste of a flat unattended soda— this was a nostalgic treat.  Yet, nostalgia did not give this one a huge boost.  While I enjoyed the overall flavor profile, I do wish that the meat and smoke carried forward a bit more.  The dram ended up too much on the woody-dry side for my taste and I felt as though a few drops of water only accentuated these elements.  I have not had a ton of luck with older peated BenRiach.  I absolutely loved the Dunctan Taylor Octave BenRiach, but too many of the punchy young bold flavors that define that bottle for me are gone in these eighteen to twenty year plus bottles.  

Overall, I imagine I am in the minority here— there was a lot to love in this bottle and I have no doubt anyone who already loves the BenRiach Solstice or some of the older BenRiachs will find a lot to apprecaite.  The dry sherry profile is not my cup of tea, so, while I would happily drink this if offered, these older BenRiachs are not something I chase down.