Yesterday I celebrated my birthday, and as luck would have it, I’ve just written tasting notes on a whisky from my birth year. Now 1985 is not exactly a great whisky vintage. There are exceptions. The Lagavulin 21yo comes to mind, but as a rule there aren’t many good price/quality-whiskies from the mid-eighties. The crisis the whisky industry was in at the time probably doesn’t help.
On to today’s tasting notes. They are of an independent BenRiach from (of course) 1985. Bottled in 2010 for the Japanese market.
BenRiach 1985/2010 (48,1%, Liquid Sun for Japan)
Nose: Very malty and really fruity. Some lime, pineapple, lemon and banana peel. Wood shavings as well. It’s oaky, but not too much. A profile that I’ve been enjoying more and more recently.
Taste: A tad sweeter than I expected, with some nice sweet barley notes. The oak makes an encore. Fairly grassy, as well as a good amount of green apples and tinned pineapple. A hint of cumin.
Finish: Finish is medium in length. Some oak, but mainly grassy notes.
Rating: 87
An honest whisky, which might seem like a meaningless description, but I do believe it is accurate. A nice amount of influence from the ex-bourbon cask, but despite its long maturation period of 25 years the spirit is not overshadowed by the oak.