Selected Malts – Benriach 8yo 52,2% ABV!

Dear friends, followers, and supporters alike! A few days ago, I received a package from my good friends Patrik and Mikael of "Selected Malts". The package turned out to contain their upcoming release, and although Selected Malts is a relatively new independent bottler (they released there first bottling roughly a year ago) this is actually their 10:th release so far! So congrats on a first year well done guys!

This time around they are releasing an 8 year old whisky from Benriach distillery. The distillation date was 20100530 and date of bottling was 20181219. The whisky was first matured in a single bourbon hogshead (2nd-fill bourbon) and was then transferred into two 128 litre 2nd-fill oloroso quarter casks for a finishing period of 7 months. The whisky was bottled at cask strength of 52,2% ABV, no filtration and likewise no coloring has been done! The two casks gave 500 bottles in total and out of these 464 bottles will be released at the swedish state monopoly this monday (15:th of April) through the "order-assortment". You can view the whisky by clicking here. Ok folks, it's time to analyze!

Pic belongs to Selected Malts

Nose:

Although the sherry finish has not really made a mark on the color of this whisky, it has done so on the top layer of the nose; light/yellow raisins, the peel and dryness of red/purple grapes, and finally the inside of dried (but moist) figs. Below this layer I do however mostly find scents that I associate with bourbon cask; (the famous) ”excotic fruits” such as yellow kiwi, overripe banana and lemon peel. But, far more evident is loads and loads of creamy vanilla, melted butter, cookies, and pastry. In the very bottom layer we have more robust notes such as marzipan, mint, a hint of peaty-ness and in the distant butter drizzled ginger. Complex stuff folks!

Taste: 

Well that was an interesting turn/surprise! It begins on light peat, saltiness, vanilla fugde and sweet liquorice! Slightly burnt custard sauce takes over which moves on into lightly roasted and sugared almonds. After that we have a beautiful wave of melted butter coming in, only to be interrupted by a dryness somehow reminding me of the leaves on a black currant bush. I can’t really seem to put my finger on the sherry influence, but something makes me think of perfume-y-ness, red and orange wine-gum sweets, and milk chocolate pralines filled with cherry-liquer. In the aftertaste, the vanilla, butter, and the light peat moves off and on into one another, and the whisky fades away on a slight dryness and a sugar-y sweetness. 

Some reflections to sum up:

This was a very, very interesting dram to taste! The taste really differs from the nose and I did not at all expect the peat and saltiness to be in focus in the early phase of the taste. Also, I thought that the taste would have more of the ”excotic fruits” from the nose coming through. The strength is perfect just the way it is. Being a (kind of) single cask (before the finish) of this quality, the price level is amazing. And hey, the complex nose is alone worth the price of a bottle, so sláinte!

Big thanks to Patrik and Mikael for the great opportunity to review this whisky before its release! For kind of weekly updates please make sure to follow my FB-page by clicking here, my instagram by clicking here, and my twitter-page by clicking here. Copyright © and All Rights Reserved on all tasting notes and text by SamuelWhisky and pictures and videos likewise belong to SamuelWhisky, unless stated. If you would like to use any such material that belongs to SamuelWhisky or associated with SamuelWhisky, please ask by sending me an email to samuelkarlssonorebro [at] gmail [dot] com and by stating the source.

Pic belongs to Selected Malts