Benrinnes 22 Year (1996) Signatory Vintage for Binny’s
Whisky : Benrinnes 22 Year (1996) Signatory Vintage for Binny’s
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 50.3%
Cask : First Fill Hogshead
Age : 22 Years (Distilled 24 Oct. 1996, Bottled 4 June 2019)
Nose : Wood, malt, and herbs. Rich and woody with plenty of oaky spice and hints of vanilla. Malty semi-sweet barley sugars along with the floral, almost citrus, scent of old wallpaper glue. Dark brown sugar lingered in the background with subtle herbal notes of tobacco and menthol.
Palate : Medium-bodied with a smooth oily mouthfeel and a mellow profile of brown sugar, citrus peels, and herbs. Barley sugars, molasses, and orange rind appeared away with tantalizing hints of pomegranate and dried persimmon. Woody tannins left a mild astringency across the palate as the profile moved toward a peppery spice and grassy sweetness at the end.
Finish : Lingering hints of fruit and oaky sugars.
Score : 6
Mental Image : Smooth as the Fonz with a Broken Jukebox
Notes : The flavor profile on this was nothing to get excited about, but the mouthfeel was terrific, and I scored this a few notches higher because of it. I know some people avoid using “smooth” as a descriptor— but I will be damned if this did not have one of the smoothest mouthfeels I have ever experienced. It was somewhere between the smooth glass of a marble, butter, or maybe oil— but without the same heavy viscosity. Velvety maybe? Silky perhaps? It was excellent, and I just wanted to cuddle it across my palate.
This dram was a solid Benrinnes and a delightful experience. It was hard to figure out where to begin describing the flavor profile— it reminded me of brown sugar and molasses at turns, but it was never saccharine or overly sweet. Hints of spice and herbs and grass all peeked in at different times, but nothing seemed to stick around for that long.
Overall, this was not the most amazing thing I have ever had, but it was incredibly easy to drink and interesting enough that I just kept picking up the glass and pouring a bit more.
Image Credit: Binny’s
