Benrinnes is a distillery more known to whisky geeks and afficionados as most of their whisky goes into blends. Their whisky is big and muscular and I usually enjoy my Benrinnes when it’s far more older then this specimen bottled by Backadder.

This is a 10 Year Old Benrinnes distilled 21.06.2010 and bottled in August 2020 after maturing in a straightforward ex-bourbon cask (number #306695).

This hogshead yielded 321 bottles at 58.1% and now it’s time to see how this whisky fares even at this tender age.

Blackadder Benrinnes 2010 10 Year Old  (58.1%)

Photo: whiskybase.com

Nose: It’s a young Benrinnes and the toughness is on display. Straw, honey, rocks dust and green pears. Then it gets herbal with lavender, a touch of soap, herbal perfume. Cereals, bread, bakery fresh dough, kiwi and papaya, vanilla pods and all this time the tough backbone is there. This is not a soft whisky, it’s one with bulging muscles.

Palate: Intensive delivery, green unripe pears, OK also ripe pears and green tropical fruitiness. Again there’s this tough and muscular backbone, honey, rocks dust, white pepper, but not as prominent as it can be with Benrinnes.

Finish: Short medium length, cereals, green fruitiness, honey and a dash of white pepper.

Thoughts: The truth be told, I was expecting a furious, lively and spicy whisky but I got only the first two items which is good because over-spicy whisky isn’t my thing. This is a solid whisky – intensive and muscular (but no on steroids) whisky with spices and fruitiness thrown on it.