TN: BenRiach 15 Tawny Port Cask Finish vs Benriach 20 Heart of Speyside

Boozehounds,

I had the good fortune to stop by the Summerhill LCBO tasting bar today and what do I see unexpectedly? A large shipment of BenRiach 15 YO Tawny Port cask finish and 20 YO Heart of Speyside. These have been previously available at the SAQ in Montreal and I have been sorely tempted to buy them there every time I return to visit my family, but I have been held back each and every time due to very bad memories of the Glenmorangie 12 YO cask finished whiskies.

Fortunately, both of these were also available at the tasting bar, so naturally I went up and got me some. Quite a treat to be able to try them side by side and compare the two. On to the tasting notes:

BenRiach 15 YO Tawny Port Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky: A very strong sweet nose full of plum, caramel and rancio and a touch of barley on the end, but it is clear that the Tawny Port is the dominant nose here. Tastes of sweet barley and cooked sugar plums. The heat really kicks up and gets much stronger on the finish, becoming very harsh and close to the unpleasantness of the 12 YO Glenmorangie cask finishers but not quite. There’s definitely smoothness here but it dissipates quickly as the heat overruns it. Delicious when first going down, though.

BenRiach 20 YO Heart of Speyside Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky: A rich barley and malt nose with some touches of caramel but mostly smells like a really good baked beer and wheat bread. In the mouth, an unbelievably smooth mouthfeel with little to no heat and flavors of sweet barley and baking spices.

The major thing I got out of tasting these two whiskies side by side are the importance of cask finishes and long aging. Let’s deal with the latter first. I’m surprised at how much bite from the alcohol the 15 year old Scotch had. I’ve had 15 year old Calvados, Brandy de Jerez and Cognacs that didn’t have anywhere near as much heat on the finish as this. While it never became as bad as the heat on the Glenmorangie cask finishers, it got pretty darn close to that region before slightly pulling back. The 20 year old , on the other hand, was smooth as olive oil. I’m a huge fan of 21 year old Scotch single malts, but this 20 YO is just as good in terms of smoothness and integration as any of my 21 year olds currently in my collection. Honestly, for $149 CDN this whisky is a steal.

On the other hand, the actual taste seemed kind of one-dimensional and even bland. Once I got over savoring the smoothness, I noticed that the flavors didn’t really change in my palate from a straightforward and rich barley sweetness. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful flavor, but the cask finish definitely adds something to whisky.

Cask finishes have now been proven to me to be an absolute must for single malt Scotches. Yes, they are derided as candy in a glass and “Sherry monsters” but I’ve now had Ruby Port, Tawny Port, Sauternes, PX, Oloroso, and blended sherry cask finished whiskies in my young Berserkerdom and there is absolutely no doubt that they add some complementary aromas and flavors that elevate Scotch and make it a lot more complex. This may irk the purists out there, but the fact of the matter is that barley sweetness is the predominant flavor of single malt Scotch and that’s why other sweet wine flavors work so well with it.

On the other hand, I can now see how cask finishes can be used to blatantly disguise the fact that whisky is either low quality and/or too young to be drunk. It is ridiculous that 12 year old or younger whisky is put on the market with a cask finish and sold as a viable product. The 15 year old was skirting the edge of unpalatable, how could anyone drink a cask finished whisky as young as 12 or even 8 years old and tell me that it’s a good whisky? This is why my collection currently consists of 21 year old cask finishers from Balvenie, Glendronach, Auchentoshan, and Glenlivet – they really are the best of both worlds.

To be honest, a perfect BenRiach whisky to me would’ve been a 20 year old Heart of Speyside finished in a sweet wine cask. If Benriach had such a range, I’d buy them all in a heartbeat. Why they haven’t come out with such a line yet when other cask finished 21 year olds and even 17 year olds enjoy tremendous success is beyond me.

But these are the products they are releasing, so instead of ranting, I should make a recommendation and I recommend both whiskies due to their high quality with the caveat that you should be dictated by your own personal tastes. The 15 YO Tawny Port finish is just balanced enough to be enjoyable while the 20 YO Heart of Speyside has a very smooth and pure feel and flavor. You can’t go wrong with either but the 15 YO Tawny Port finish is definitely more of a dessert whisky and will appeal to those with a sweet tooth like myself as long as you don’t mind the extra heat on the finish. Truthfully, you won’t go wrong with either so fill up your Glencairns and sip away. [cheers.gif]
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