Whisky: BenRiach 8 Year (2012), Adelphi

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 59.1%

Cask: First Fill Sherry Butt

Age: 8 Years (Distilled 2012, Bottled 2020)

Nose: Dark chocolate, dried berries, burnt matches, black grapes, bran, house paint, subtle sulfur and spoiled milk.

Palate: Medium-bodied, spirited, dark chocolate, berries, coffee, cinnamon, honey, brown sugar, stone fruit, wet leather, earthy sulfur at the end.

Finish: Medium to long, quite drying, with fruit, earth, and dark chocolate.

Score: 4

Mental Image: Coffee Shop Renovations

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was brimming with rich fruits— dried berries, chocolate-covered blueberries, nectarines, peaches, black grapes, and loads of dark chocolate. The bitter chocolate shifted toward milled bran and burnt matches as a subtle sulfur and spoiled milk appeared. The combination struck me as house paint and honey, as if I were trying to eat a butter roll dripping in honey while painting the kitchen. Medium-bodied, rich, and a bit spirited on the palate, the flavor profile closely matched the nose. Dark chocolate hit the palate first, followed by dried berries, coffee, and cinnamon. Sweetness built up on the mid-palate with honey, brown sugar, and stone fruits drifting toward a peach or nectarine crumble. Wet leather and earthy sulfur frequently lingered in the background with hints of spoiled dairy but were more assertive at the end. The finish was medium to long and drying with earth, dried fruit, and dark chocolate.

This struck me as a love-it-or-hate-it sort of dram. A sensitivity to sulfur would make this a drain pour for some, while the earthier-burnt match stick side of the dram would no doubt appeal to lovers of dirtier-earthier sherry bombs.

I loved and hated it— I thought it was intellectually fun to pick apart and think about, but the overall effect was not to my preference. It was brash, young, and the flavors were not all that well-integrated. The first time I tried it, I actually did enjoy it quite a bit, but on subsequent tastings, I kept running into a spoiled dairy note that reminded me of cleaning out the milk fridge during my coffee-slinging younger years.

Overall, I could not decide whether this was a 3 or 7, so I went with something in the middle. I loved the stone fruit cobbler and coffee that came through, but I did not care for the earthier-dirtier or sulfur elements of the whisky.