BenRiach 10 Year Old 2008 Cask 7865 Batch 16 South African Wine Barrique

The GlenDronach Peated Port Wood is a rare example of Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, made in the ‘old style’, from malted barley dried with Highland peat. Inspired by the historical import of casked port into Scotland during the nineteenth century, the peated spirit has then undergone a final maturation in the finest port pipes, from the Douro Valley in Portugal. The whisky maker has hand-selected and expertly combined these port pipes, to create a rare and surprising expression of The GlenDronach. The GlenDronach Peated Port Wood is bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered and natural colour.

• Colour : Dark amber with a ruby heart
• Nose : Wild strawberries dusted with cinnamon sugar, filled with sweet wood smoke. A warming hint of black pepper and a sprig of mint appear in the back note.
• Taste : Crisp, tart cranberry juice, flooded with waves of Highland smoke, sweetens to red berry compote, with rich, stewed barley.

Building on the current recipe of the 25-year-old, the 35-year-old is also an elegant balance of bourbon and red wine casks. The combination at this age is used to best exemplify the classic fruit-forward BenRiach character. Unlike most red wine cask maturation that will just use the cask for finishing or in smaller quantities, this is a rare composition of bourbon barrel and red wine cask at a ratio of 50:50.

Nose: Luscious tropical fruit salad syrup with a delicate ripped mint and chocolate back note; all warmed by a gentle toasted oak spice.
Palate: A classic Speyside style combining waves of papaya and dried apricots with freshly-sawn oak spices, touches of golden syrup and distant milk chocolate which gently flow through the elegant long finish; long, sweet and satisfying finish.