Benrinnes 19 Year Old 1997 The Ultimate

Benrinnes is a workhorse for the blenders and delivers mostly to Johnnie Walker, J&B, Crawfords and the likes. There are hardly any official releases. This single cask was bottled by the Dutch Van Wees in their The Ultimate series.

The nose reminds me of the start of summer, although it is less floral than the Benrinnes 1997 Vintage from Signatory that I just tried. A lot more fruit, though. Pineapple, mango, banana, blueberries, strawberry and a hint of kiwi. A veritable fruit basket. Add a little waxy note, a hint of pepper and star anise to complete the picture.

It caresses the palate, so soft… barely any spices and the alcohol is hardly noticeable. This is lemonade! Well, you know what I mean. Less fruity than the nose promised, though. Midpalate some spices do kick in. The pepper becomes louder, a leaf of mint appears. The oak gives it a slightly drying effect. But all together, this is an inviting, albeit barely complex, malt.

The finish is medium long, mildly drying and a touch peppery.

Tasting this makes you realize why this is such a popular malt with blenders. Very tasty.

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