Benriach 13 Year Old Maderensis Madeira Finish

I'll confess, I do love a bit of Latin, I think it adds mystery probably because I can't understand a fucking word of it. Rather like that dead language there's loads going on with this whisky and some of it is rather difficult to understand. This allows the power of suggestion to take hold, and one must be careful when trying to put in to words such a challenging and deep-running dram. NOSE: Very heavy, a sniff that keeps on giving; you get alcohol at the end just as you get alcohol at the beginning. Peat, and lots of it, You also (I think) get fruit, maybe red grapes, raisins? I'm reminded of wine dregs, maybe in the bottom of an oak barrel. MOUTH: Thunderous, smoke, peat, no coal or oil which i often get with peaty whisky (may be associative, but not a drop of it here), there's a sweetness at the back and combined with the cloying nature of a very heavy dram it put me in mind of syrup or honey, more in a general sense than a specific one. "Smacks" with a little citrus. There's an awful lot going on here - somehow it works. AFTER:Enormously long in my experience with a real dazzle from throat to tongue that puts me in mind of that deep alcohol breath at the start. Once familiar with the dram i just got a feeling it was "settling into itself" which i always rather enjoy, but there is arguably a new emergence here or there. I think this bottle is an astonishing achievement, maybe not a genuine top 1% dram, but different - very different and that's what the brand is about i suppose. Get 'em while they're hot!

BenRiach 13 year old Madeira Finish, known as "Maderensis Fumonsus", was the number one treat for me at our Speyside blind tasting. I guess I've learned something about BenRiach, 'cause I managed to guess the distillery and age.

BenRiach has found it's way to my heart, they surely know how to make a peaty whisky versatile without losing the smokiness.

BenRiach 13 yrs Maderensis Fumonsus was very steady with the smoke, it didn't run out. Still it gave me lots of other things as well. It was dark but sweet, truly a Dark Angel.

Nose: Steady smoke that starts out strongly and stays sophisticated all the way in the background. Slightly peaty and fruity. Gets more zesty when water added.

Taste: Peaty with clearing smoke. Sweet like wine. Water ads softness and gives some dryness in the shape of dark chocolate. Could there be toffee as well? Whatever it was, it was dark!

Finish: Dark fruits and bitter-sweet peat.

Balance: Richly smoky dram with darkness dominating the palate, yet lots of color in the background.

I bought the BenRiach Maderensis Fumosus because I was looking for a smoky malt with some intense and luxorious sweetness. This didn't quite live up to that, but it ain't too bad.

Nose: First comes the smoke. It's not 'in your face' Laphroaig type of smoke, but more mellow yet deep smoke. There's something reminiscent of motor oil. With some time in the glass, the sweeter notes start to appear more strongly. It's hard to pinpoint any fruit, it's more general syrupy sweetness.

Palate: The same duet of smoke and sweetness continues, but in the mouth in much more balanced way. The sweetness is there right from the beginning with the oily mellow smoke. Again, it's hard to find any fruitiness, and the sweetness is indeed more candy like than fruity. The finish slowly fades away with the dying smoke. This is not a dry finish at all, but mouthwatering.

Now don't get my depiction wrong. This is after all not a sweet whisky in my opinion. In fact, not significantly sweeter than Ardbeg 10 is for example. But the sweetness is different to the fruit like sweetness of many counterparts. There's not much complexity, but the balance is almost perfect.

It's not a masterpiece, but I would certainly recommend it, especially with the price it goes for (not too expensive). If you're looking for a smoky dram with a twist of something different, this could well be it.

After two non peated beauties, we come back to the peated land. It’s Speyside, yes i know, but if you remember my previous BenRiach posts, i quite liked their peated line. How will this Madeira finish fare? will it be in par with the sherry / rum ‘Fumosuses’? Let’s dive in. Nose first, of course!

The BenRiach 13 yo Maderensis Fumosus , 46% ABV ,£30 Nose: Peat smoke, with a lot of sweet tropical fruit. A kind of a peat lollipop, with a pinch of cinnamon added to it. Palate:Oodles of sweet peat smoke, cocoa, butterscotch and the spices from the nose. the tropical fruits, are all but gone. Finish : bitter wood, peat, cocoa, with a bitter sweet edge.

Bottom line:

Another peaty lollipop from The BanRiach. If you like peat combined with fruity, sweet, tropical fruit, this is your dram.I quite liked it, and it’s really on the sweeter side, with the dry peat balancing it out. Not your everyday dram, but a wonderful after dinner dram, with a cigar, or even with some dark chocolate. nice touch on the 46% ABV. all whiskies should be bottled at 46% min.