Benriach 12 Year; Fujioka Cask Selection (Cask 8641)
Whisky : Benriach 12 Year; Fujioka Cask Selection (Cask 8641)
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 61.2%
Cask : Moscatel Hogshead
Age : 12 Year (Distilled 1 Dec. 2006, Bottled 2019)
Nose : Sweet and malty, taking a pass through the hotel continental breakfast buffet. Honey nut cheerios, pineapple bran muffins, and almond croissants give the impression of fruit and pastries. Sweetness shines through with syrup drenched pancakes, raisins, and sliced pears. Water brings out thick malty slices of whole wheat toast, vanilla ice cream, and sweet drizzled honey.
Palate : Medium bodied with a warm malty sweetness. Honey drenched pastries, almond slivers, and just a bit of sesame make this a Mediterranean dessert cart. The sweetness builds into pralines with just a bit of sweet tobacco and leather on the finish. A few drops of water tamps down the youthful spirit, which occasionally overwhelms the palate, to bring out milk chocolate and caramel coated pastries.
Finish : Lingering dry nuttiness with vanilla and honey.
Score : 5
Mental Image : Continental Breakfast Pastry Basket
Something Better : Amrut 8Y Ex-Rum; KWM (similar malt/pancakes & syrup, more tropical fruit)
Something Similar : Arran 21Y; Spec’s (similar pancake/malty cereal profile, more vanilla)
Notes : A wonderful cask selection by a local store— there really are not enough of these. It often feels as though local stores are consistently in bourbon, so a scotch selection is a rare treat indeed. It makes sense, bourbon typically comes in at a lower price point and it is much easier to either visit the distillery or get cask samples. There are also a few less hoops to jump through with the current US tariff policy toward single malt scotch whisky, though the three-tier system for spirits distribution in the US still makes the whole affair more complicated than it should be.
This was a honey drench pastry of a single malt and one that will no doubt appeal to those with a bit of a sweet tooth. It certainly showed a lot more youthful spirit than I expected, but a few drops of water rounded this out beautifully and brought out additional depth. This was a treat to try and it showed a lot of promise to be a bottle that will to continue open up if given time. While it was a bit too sweet for my palate, if you like whiskies on the sweeter side with loads of rich honey, then this might be up your alley.
