Whisky Review: ’96 and ’97 ex-Bourbon Benrinnes

A pair of ex-bourbon barrel Benrinnes from two Independent Bottlers — Kingsbury and Cadenhead.

Benrinnes 1997 Cadenhead’s Cask Strength 20 Year Old / 54.0% / ~$125

Tasted neat, then with a bit of bottled water

This Benrinnes is not a single cask, but rather a small-batch vatting of three bourbon barrels to yield just 408 bottles at 54%. Distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2017 for 20 years of age, the bottle’s tasting notes promise:

Nose: Kiwi fruits, icing sugar and brazil nuts.
Palate: slight earth and dunnage notes, dark chocolate and green apples
Finish: Cajun spice, paprika and a fruitiness with pears and more apples

Minor complaint: these square bottles are hard to get the last drop out!

• Color: old gold (0.65)
• Nose: cream custard, nail polish acetone, sliced apples; with water, some whole-grain bread and honeysuckle
• Taste: oak, tropical fruits, malty pineapple; vanilla lime sorbet
• Finish: cocoa and butterscotch; with water, cardboard and caramel

Doing three barrels into a small batch run is a great way to ensure that you have a more consistent but still unique expression of Benrinnes to sell, and this one absolutely hits the marks. This bottle did not last me long…

Rating: 86/100

Benrinnes 1996 Kingsbury 20 Year Old / 56.5%

Tasted neat, then with a bit of bottled water

A nice 20 Yr Benrinnes distilled in 1996 and laid to rest for 20 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead #11711, 225 bottles were produced. Tasting notes are “Amber, ginger, complex toffee, agave, sweet, sublime.”

• Color: deep copper (1.0)
• Nose: buttery crisp patisserie, bananas, rum, and hot-house flowers
• Taste: a little oaky, tons of tropical fruits, cream, kiwi, and mint
• Finish: medium, warming, some barbeque sauce

This is an interesting one — it’s a lot fruitier than most of the barrels of Benrinnes I’ve had, and the ABV is quite solid. It’s very fresh, and pleasant — I’d call it a summer dram!

Rating: 89/100