Monday 13 November 2023

Benriach The Sixteen [Tasted #655]

Benriach Distillery boasts a rich and intricate history that dates back to its inception in 1898. Initially established as Longmorn's sister plant by the enterprising John Duff, it was named Longmorn No 2. Unfortunately, Benriach's early years were cut short when it ceased operations in 1900. It wasn't until 65 years later, in 1965, that the distillery resumed whisky production.

During the intervening years, Longmorn experienced various phases, and while it officially bottled as a single malt, it couldn't quite match the acclaim garnered by Longmorn or Glen Grant. In 2003, Benriach faced another period of closure, this time under Pernod Ricard. However, fate took a turn in 2004 when a South African consortium, led by former Burn Stewart managing director Billy Walker, acquired Benriach.

Under Walker's leadership, Benriach underwent a remarkable transformation. The distillery introduced a diverse range of malts, including rich and heavily peated whiskies. Over the years, Benriach emerged as one of Scotland's most captivating distilleries, renowned for its complex, spicy, and exhilarating whisky profiles.

Benriach's unique character stems from a longstanding tradition of distilling three styles of whisky: classic unpeated, Highland peated, and triple distilled. This, coupled with an eclectic selection of casks sourced globally, allows Benriach to explore a myriad of flavor possibilities in its single malts.

Also forming part of Benriach's history is their Benriach 16yo which was retired from Benriach's portfolio in 2016, directly after winning “Best Speyside Single Malt” at the 2015 World Whisky Awards. It was rumoured that the retirement might have been due to the fact that the liquid was needed for the 10, 12 and 21yo expressions that span Benriach's core range. Nevertheless it has now returned after an arguably brief hiatus. The last time I tasted the 16yo was in 2016 at the Sydney Whisky Show though I've seemed to have lost my notes but perhaps it was overshadowed with my fondness of the Batch 1 release at the time.

Going back to the Sixteen, the reintroduction of Benriach The Sixteen has been described as a very special moment for the distillery by Master Blender Dr Rachel Barrie as it now bridges the gap in Benriach's core range, squeezing in between Benriach 10yo, 12yo and 21yo. In fact, if you consider Benriach's entire range, it does fill the gap between the 10yo, 10yo smoky, 12yo, 12yo smoky, 21yo, 25yo and 30yo - you can find our write-up on the full Benriach range here.

Benriach The Sixteen sees the use of a three-cask maturation process for at least 16 years through three distinct types of casks: ex-bourbon, sherry, and virgin oak. This trifecta of wood is said to impart a range of flavours. The spirit is matured in a combination of bourbon barrels, sherry casks and virgin oak casks resulting in a creamy and nutty Benriach with stone fruits imparted within.

Dr Rachel Barrie, Master Distiller behind Benriach, describes The Sixteen as a richly balanced evolution of the distillery's signature Speyside style. With every passing year, the core flavour components of fruit, malt, and oak become more concentrated, offering a truly transcendent tasting experience.

Dr Barrie noted:

“The return of Benriach The Sixteen is a very special moment for the distillery as it is one of our most treasured expressions. Our signature Speyside style blossoms at ten years old, finding depth and richer layers of orchard fruit character as it turns sixteen. Our core flavour components of fruit, malt and oak become more concentrated, enriched with age at sixteen years old, bringing layers of stone fruit, smooth creamy malt, wild honey and nutty oak spice.”


So how does the newly launched The Sixteen taste? Balanced, gentle (perhaps amounting to the lower ABV) but still carries a complexity of flavours that you might expect from a slightly older malt and it certainly does fill in the middle gap nicely in Benriach's core range.

Benriach The Sixteen (43% ABV, 16yo, Speyside, Scotland, A$165)

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Nose: The nose is sweet, filled with stone fruits; plum, dried apricot with some notes of cherry glaze, raisins, creamy hazelnut, creamy malt and macadamia nut honey. Good.

Palate: The palate is gentle, the body almost too soft but light. The sweetness carries through with creamy vanilla followed by stone fruits, plums or perhaps  baked apple pie. The nuttiness then reveals itself, similar to the nose, with macadamia nuts mixed with some honey, perhaps macadamia nut honey. There are some spices (and citrus) that caps it all off.

Finish: Moderately long finish, slightly sweet, soft but with remnants of spices and citrus that last a while

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Hendy)

Benriach has partnered with The Whisky Club to bring their members exclusive first access to Benriach The Sixteen, available to add to monthly Whisky Club orders in November (orders have opened earlier this month). Following this, Benriach The Sixteen will be available nationwide from 1st December 2023.

Cheers
Hendy

Thanks to Brown Forman and different PR for providing a sample bottle for us to taste and review

Friday 10 November 2023

Ardbeg BizarreBQ [Tasted #654]

We've covered more than our fair share of limited release Ardbegs over the years - a decade's worth of Ardbeg Day releases and a smattering of other limited editions, which is where today's whisky, Ardbeg "BizarreBQ" falls.

Strange name, strange concept..and yet (to me at least) kind of intriguing. To quote Ardbeg:
"You start with a hare-brained idea, you bring together three unique casks, two masters in their own right, and a whole lot of heat and smoke… what do you get? You get the Distillery’s first ever barbecue-inspired whisky – Ardbeg BizarreBQ. Cooked up by renowned Master Distiller, Dr Bill Lumsden, alongside bona-fide god of the grill, Christian Stevenson (AKA DJ BBQ), this mouth-watering malt packs a meaty, peaty punch.

The same way it is with grilling, there’s one vital element in creating our first BBQ-inspired malt – fire. Toasting a selection of three casks, double charred oak casks, Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and BBQ casks, this combined recipe comes together to bring a sweet, tangy, smoky flavour… perfect for BBQ!"


(If like me you were curious about "BBQ casks", they're casks that've received extra charring)

For many years I defended the onslaught of Ardbeg limited editions, but even I'll admit the past few years of Ardbeg Day releases haven't quite been up to standard, in my opinion (not bad whisky, just a difficult value proposition in comparison to the excellent 10 Year Old). 

BizarreBQ had me curious though. A bit cheaper than recent Ardbeg Day releases ($955HKD, $145AUD) and from a few reports I'd heard, pretty decent. MHDHK were kind enough to send me a sample recently so I could see for myself...


Ardbeg BizarreBQ Limited Edition (50.9% ABV, Single Malt, NAS, Islay Scotland, $955HKD / $145AUD / £75 GBP)
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Colour: Golden brown

Nose: A sweeter peat note, slightly herbal with hints of sea salt.

Palate: Much meatier and richer than the nose suggess (the PX influence shows through). Some berry fruitiness too, but it's subtle. Milk chocolate, coffee beans and a finely integrated smoke.

Finish: Long, with a soft red-berry smoke.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100 (Martin). Honestly? One of the better Ardbeg limited releases in recent years. If this is a sign of what's to come in the future, count me in.

Cheers,
Martin.

Thursday 9 November 2023

High West Whiskey Tasting with Brendan Coyle [Tasted #653]

Late last month, we joined Brendan Coyle, Master Distiller of High West Whiskey who had visited Australia for the first time to talk through everything High West.

Brendan's passion for the whiskey game was evident as he talked about his journey at High West which began in 2006. 

High West Distillery, located in Park City, Utah, United States, is the first legally licensed distillery in Utah since the end of the American Prohibition. It was founded in 2006 by David Perkins, a former pharmaceutical biochemist, and his wife, Jane. The distillery operates in an old livery stable dubbed “The National Garage” and in the adjacent historic Ellsworth J Beggs house, which was built in 1907.

Brendan noted that American whiskey had been somewhat stuck in its old ways, with many distilleries churning out similar products. He felt that the traditional whiskey landscape in America was slow to change, with many producers following similar methods and High West saw a chance to shake things up, by focusing on innovation and dreaming about what whiskey flavours could be, not just what they were like back in the day. This is primarily why High West is more known for blending whiskey rather than distilling it. 

This unique approach to whiskey production sees High West producing its spirits only in small batches and they are known to source whiskeys from other distilleries to produce the base components of their whiskeys, focusing on blending different grain bills and ages to create a different whiskey profiles. Brendan noted that he has taken inspiration from global spirits like Scotch and Cognac, which are known for their artful blending of young and old spirits. The result is a diverse range of flavours and styles that make up their lineup. Their American Prairies Bourbon is a blend of straight bourbon aged between 2 and 13 years.

On the night, Brendan introduced us to a few High West highlights, including the Double Rye, Double Rye Tawny, American Prairie Bourbon and High West Campfire. The latter is an interesting blend of bourbon, rye, and peated malts from an undisclosed distillery in Scotland - though not the kind of peated malt you think of and certainly not from Islay. The High West Campfire presents a mix of sweet candied, honey notes from the bourbon, a kick of cookie spices and spicy rye, and a subtle smoke. The Campfire does make for a good base for cocktail making.


High West Double Rye Tawny Port Barrel (56.1% ABV, Park City, Utah, A$TBC)

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Part of High West's Barrel Select Program, the High West Double Rye Tawny is a blend of 2-year-old MGP 95/5 rye whiskey and a 7-year-old High West rye whiskey with a mash bill of 80% rye and 20% malted barley.

Nose: The nose opens with notes of marzipan, raisins, baked (rye) spices, gingerbread like, vanilla, cherry. There's some burnt caramel, honey and light citrus notes.

Palate: The palate is gentle with rye spices, cinnamon, gingerbread. Some sweetness develops with vanilla notes and fluffy vanilla chiffon cake, there's white pepper and developing dryness

Finish: Moderately long finish, with peppery spices and dry finish

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100 (Hendy)


Cheers
Hendy

Thanks to Maven PR and High West Whiskey for having us at the High West Dinner with Brendan Coyle