Chapter 7 Benrinnes 1996

Tonight's whisky review had been gathering dust in my drafts folder: Chapter 7 Benrinnes 1996. The Benrinnes distillery has a rather turbulent history. The original distillery near Whitehouse Farm was destroyed by a flood in 1826. Alfred Barnard described the location as [...] no more weird or desolate place could be chosen. More then a few owners learned their trade the hard way and went bankrupt. The current Benrinnes buildings all date from the 1950’s and with the major upgrade from 2012, the distillery can be run by a single operator.

Most of the production is destined for world famous blends like J&B, Johnnie Walker and the lesser known Crawford’s. The only official bottling so far has been a 15yo Flora & Fauna. In 2014 Benrinnes was part of the Special Releases by Diageo with a 21 year old single malt.

Identity Card Chapter 7 Benrinnes 1996

• Benrinnes 1996
• Benrinnes Distillery, Aberlour (Speyside)
• Bottled by Chapter 7
• 18yo single malt
• 61.5% ABV
• Natural colour & un-chillfiltered
• Bourbon hogshead #898

Tasting notes Chapter 7 Benrinnes 1996

Colour: Colour: Gold yellow colour, port-like. Small beads form on the glass after swirling. Those beads slowly transform in thin fast legs.

Nose: Fruity at first nosing with oranges and banana. After that, it’s slightly floral and grainy. Marshmallows with citrus. Yellow flowers spreading a sweet perfume. Croissants with butter and milk. Butter cake.
A teaspoon of water is well deserved and rewards you with fresh citric aromas and a heap of vanilla seeds. Butter and apples. Sweet crème au beurre.

Taste: Intense and fruity esters. Yellow apples, banana and melon. Some interesting wood flavours develop slowly. Even a thin coat of resin. Pencil shavings and meringue. A true spring-sipper.
Mixed with water it’s a torrent of flavours. At first peppery, next the sweetness prevails for a little while. Think yellow apple peel that at the same time introduces a subtle bitterness. White Martini with a dash of lemon and grain biscuits.

Finish: A long and warm finish. The perfect dram for chilly spring evenings.

Sample disclosure: Selim from Chapter 7 sent me a sample for reviewing purposes . Opinions stated (good or bad ) are my own.