Happy New Whiskies: Benriach FirstTaste
New Year's Eve 2022
Ringing in the new year with good friends is something we do every year.
Normally, we do so with a just few good bottles of bubbly and be done with it, but this year we introduced a slight twist to the tradition…toasting at midnight with some new-to-us whiskies.
Our exactly-at-2022 selections came from the Scotch Speyside distillery, Benriach.
Happy 2022!!!
The crew.
Benriach
- Benriach Malting Season is the first expression in a century to be produced entirely using barley malted from the distillery’s historic floor maltings,
-
- It is created with a unique process that brings out the wholesome, creamy flavor found in the distillery’s floor malted spirit.
- For each new edition, Master Blender Rachel Barrie carefully selects the type of barley and bottling strength – in this case Concerto barley – making each annual edition a truly unique expression in its own right.
- Benriach Smoke Season is a small batch release that captures one of Benriach’s time-honored seasonal production techniques.
-
- This expression is the most intensely smoked whisky to be released by the distillery.
- Smoke Season reflects Benriach’s history of creating heavily peated single malts during the 19th century.
- Made with Highland Peat, which is sourced from the mainland and derived from ancient trees and heather; this character produces a distinct aromatic smoke in the malted barley.
Bottles before 2022 started, obvs…
Malting Season boasts a rich aroma of barley sugar, almond fudge and poached orchard apple with smooth, rounded flavours of vanilla and honeyed pear, with a lasting nuttiness of slowly kilned malt.
The favorite of the evening.
The Smoke Season edition is both intensely smoked and exquisitely sweet. It 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.
Wonderfully smokey, and one of us thought it would go great with peanut butter (no, she doesn’t know why either).
The two we tasted are expressions reflecting the traditional methods of Scotch whisky-making dating back to the earliest days of the distillery.
Both available in limited quantities in select markets across the US.
While many like savoring whiskies by themselves, we do like to follow up ours with dessert! Chocolate and cheese cake slices are especially enjoyable as chasers 🙂
Perfect desserts
Leave a comment