Benrinnes 1978/1995 G&M Centenary Reserve

From Gordon&Macphail’s 1995 centennial celebrations comes our first entry for Benrinnes, a vintage release from 1978. Who on the bottling line would have thought it would take another two decades before someone finally tasted this one??

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Description: distilled in 1978, matured for 17 years and bottled at 40.0% ABV in 1995 for G&M’s Centennial Reserve range.

Nose: has an oily feel to it, mainly varnish with a touch of peat, coconut, leaf spinach and vanilla.

Mouth: medium bodied, with a palate that is at the same time: spicy, bitter and sour, but lacking any distinctive flavours. Pear ? White pepper? Cooking oil? Your guess is as good as mine!

Finish: shortish, with white pepper, a touch of liquorice and oak.

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Verdict: well it is what it is. Not overly deep or elaborate for a 17yo, one would expect that complexity would seep into the spirit over the years, but it remains fairly blend. The touch of peat was a nice extra however. Presumably an easy sipper in its days, but wouldn’t necessarily track it down nowadays.

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