Whisky : Benrinnes 11 Year, James Eadie ‘Sherry Cask Finish’

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 56.1%

Cask : Hogshead (10Y), First Fill PX European Oak Hogshead (11 mo.)

Age : 11 Years (Distilled 8 June 2009, Bottled 2020)

Nose : Rich dried fruit, dense cake, and subtle tobacco.  Christmas cake full of dried fruit and brown sugar along with notes of blood oranges, lemon-lime icing, and rich oak.  Dryness came through with cigar box, plum pits, and resin.

Palate : Medium bodied and rich with a dry profile of dried fruit, malty sugars, and fresh citrus.  Loads of fruit and malt with cherry-limeade, Christmas fruit cake, cherries, apricots, and fruity light maple syrup.  Hints of chalkiness in the dryness with blood orange sangria and then lingering cherries and lime at the back end.  

Finish : Lingering dryness with citrus sugars and malty pastries.

Score : 5

Mental Image : Forgotten Viola Case

Notes : I have only had a couple of Benrinnes so I do not have a strong grasp on the distillery.  This bottle by James Eadie was a great opportunity to see how the spirit held up against a really heavy sherry finish.  While I think there was a lot to love here, especially for those in search of a sherry bomb, I think this would have been better had it been a bit thicker or tannic.  While the flavors were rich, the mouthfeel did not have quite the structure I hoped to find.  The dram was a bit hot and spirited, but a few drops of water smoothed things out and actually left it feeling a bit heavier across the palate.  Water gave it a better mouthfeel but unfortunately also dissipated some of the flavor notes I really liked as the fruits faded while spice and brown sugar came forward.

Overall this was a solid sherry bomb and a fair data point to get a better grip on Benrinnes.  Heavily sherried drams or drams with intense cask finishes such as this are not usually my cup of tea, but this was not bad. 

Image Credit : user Hookedon on Whiskybase