Whisky: Benrinnes 10 Year (2011) SMWS "A Reward for Patience"

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 57.6%

Cask: First Fill Oloroso Quarter Cask, 2nd Fill Bourbon Barrel

Age: 10 Years (Distilled 2011, Bottled 2022)

Nose: Stewed fruits, vanilla cream soda, hints of birch and root beer, dried fruits, goji berries, licorice, cinnamon. Water brought out more melon and tropical fruits with caramelized brown sugar.

Palate: Medium-bodied and viscous, very oily, stewed stone fruits, star anise, vanilla bean, ginseng, goji berries, brown sugar, bitter dark chocolate, hints of dried grass and smoked tea.

Finish: Long and lingering with bitter dark chocolate, lacquered wood, and birch tea.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Soda Jerk in a Chinese Medicine Shop

Narrative & Notes: Intense sherry notes drove the aroma with loads of dried fruits, fragrant spices, and rich wood. A bubbling pot of stewed fruits drew the attention with diced dried fruits, goji berries, ginger, licorice, and cinnamon ready to be added. Almost effervescent at times, odd soda elements kept reappearing between notes of vanilla cream soda, birch beer, or a root beer float. The palate was medium to full-bodied with a lovely oily viscosity that flooded the palate with stewed stone fruits and fragrant spices. Hints of licorice appeared with star anise, vanilla bean, ginseng, goji berries, and brown sugar. A bitterness sat at the end as bitter dark chocolate lingered onto the finish with dried grass or smoked tea— another taster suggested hōjicha. The finish was long with bitter dark chocolate, wood, and hints of sweeter birch tea.

Featured in the SMWS 2022 Festival Release lineup, this Benrinnes represented the Speyside region. I thought it was the most interesting release of the outturn and unquestionably the best value. While many of the other releases were vattings of sibling casks, and similar to recently released sibling casks, the Benrinnes involved multiple cask types. As far as I remember, it was the only recent SMWS release to feature quarter casks for part of the maturation. It was the most experimental and unusual bottle in the festival lineup, and I thought the heady oak and vanilla from the quarter casks provided an excellent balance to the rich fruits of the oloroso. The casks did not overpower the silky, oily smooth mouthfeel of Benrinnes, and, even though this was young and matured in aggressive casks, it was still wonderfully smooth.