Review: BenRiach 21 Years Old (2020)
Review: BenRiach 21 Years Old (2020)
BenRiach’s latest is a complex Speyside single malt, matured for 21 years in a combination of four casks: bourbon, virgin oak, Pedro Ximenez sherry, and red wine casks.
It’s quite a delight, kicking off on the nose with baking spice, nougat, and coconut, filtered through a lightly smoldering note of barrel char and toasted spices. The palate is quite complex and exotic, as you might expect, starting off with a touch of coffee bean and almond before some more savory notes come to the fore. Lemongrass, some earthy greenery, and a light note of furniture polish give the whisky a kick, but the finish returns to its sweeter side, with caramel and vanilla in focus. On the fade-out a whiff of smoky, charred wood lingers in the nostrils.
It’s altogether quite delightful and highly worth exploring in depth.
92 proof.
A- / $175 / benriachdistillery.com
BenRiach 21 Years Old (2020)
$175
