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25th February 2021 |
Review of
peated Benriach Smoke Season.
 The
Benriach distillery has added what they
describe as their "most heavily peated
single malt" to their recently revamped whisky
range, the Benriach Smoke Season, a small batch release
that has
been bottled at the rather flavoursome
strength of 52.8% ABV.
Back in the 1898, when
the Benriach distillery was established,
like the majority of Speyside
distilleries of that time, peated whisky
production was the norm but with the
emergence of modern fuel sources peat
was used less and less in Speyside
distilleries, even Benriach. Benriach
actually closed in 1900 but reopened
again in 1965 then in 1972 the Benriach
went back to its roots when it restarted
the production of peated Benriach.
Following the revamp of the Benriach
core whisky range late last year the
creative Speyside distillery has now
added this brand new high
strength expression, Smoke Season to its
whisky line-up. It
celebrates
the time of year where peated spirit
runs through the Benriach stills, a tradition
revived by the distillery in 1972, Smoke Season is a small batch
release that captures one of Benriach’s
time-honoured seasonal production
techniques.
The peat used to produce the Benriach's
peated whiskies is different to the majority of peat
sourced near the sea by distilleries on
the West Coast and Islay, the Benriach
uses Highland peat, which
is sourced from the mainland and derived
from ancient trees and heather. This
character produces a distinct aromatic
smoke which toasts the barley at
Benriach, resulting in an intense thread
of sweet smoke interwoven with Benriach’s staple orchard fruit
character.
Described as intensely smoked and exquisitely
sweet, the special edition Smoke Season
has been
two-cask matured in both American virgin
oak and bourbon barrels - wood types
intentionally selected to amplify the
toasted sweet notes in Benriach’s smoky
spirit. With a new recipe finely tuned
by Master Blender Dr. Rachel Barrie,
this expression is the most intensely
smoked whisky to be released by the
distillery.
With a RRP of £53 you will soon find the new
Benriach Smoke Season
available from specialist online whisky
retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange,
The Whisky Shop and Master of Malt
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Benriach Smoke Season Review
|
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
A lovely gentle sweet Demerara sugared,
vanilla laced, peat smoke. Caramel, a
little distant slightly candied orange,
cinnamon and touch of pepper.
Taste:
Just what the nose said was coming,
luscious mouth coating sugary sweet
peat, infused with spiced green pear, vanilla
and caramel, late zesty orange.
Finish:
Deliciously long, the zesty orange fades
first, followed by the caramel and
vanilla leaving the delicious lingering
and slightly drying sweet peat and oak
spice.
Comment:
An outstanding 'Highland peated'
Speyside dram,
absolutely delicious, the mix of casks
play there part well and the
bottling strength simply makes this a
flavoursome sweet peaty pleasure.
Benriach has produced some stunning
peated single malts in recent years and
this is up there with the best of them.
SMW Score
94/100
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