We’ll go for an ABC line-up today: Aberlour, Benriach and Clynelish. All three are exclusive to DeinWhisky in Germany. Two of these bottlings are from Sansibar (white label editions) and the last one comes from the warehouses of Malts of Scotland.
Clynelish 27 yo 1996 (52,8%, Sansibar for DeinWhisky 2023, bourbon hogshead, 289 btl.)
Nose: excellent waxiness. Banana candy, honey, yellow plums, lime and a little papaya. Plenty of beehive notes, with some warm chalky notes, yellow apples and soft vanilla. Subtle sunflower oil and paraffin. Then even coconut turns up, with bready notes and a pinch of white pepper.
Mouth: a perfect combination of fatty elements, honey and chalk, with tart apples and some grapefruit. Very oily, with hints of candle wax, more banana and a subtle grape sweetness. Green and yellow fruits. Then sweet mango. Haribo bears as well, before it becomes slightly more herbal and chalky towards the end.
Finish: long, slightly spicier and grassier, but still waxy, with candied ginger and just a hint of caramel.
Bingo, great start. This is grand whisky, one to put in the back of your whisky cupboard and forget about for a couple of years. Imagine the surprise when you open it. Sold out, but I’m sure you guessed that already.
Benriach 12 yo 2012 (55,4%, Malts of Scotland for DeinWhisky 2024, Oloroso sherry hogshead, 194 btl.)
Nose: clearly a modern, seasoned sherry cask, with this toasted woody character that comes close to cedar. Dusty cigar boxes. Then hazelnuts with dark cherries and plums, as well as sweet baking spice. Cinnamon and nutmeg. Hints of cocoa powder and a layer of caramel and toffee sweetness.
Mouth: rich and creamy sherry. There’s a good dose of dark fruits (bramble, raisins, plums) with hazelnuts and roasted almonds. Treacle and milk chocolate. Then a series of pastry notes, from cinnamon buns to chocolate marble cake. Plenty of caramel sweetness again, a real after dinner dram.
Finish: quite long, still sweet and nutty, with more bakery notes and oak spice coming through.
While I wasn’t too fond of the woody elements on the nose, the palate makes up for this. This Benriach benefits from a good sherry cask, matching the creamy distillate in a nice way. Exclusive to DeinWhisky. Score: 87/100
Aberlour 15 yo 2009 (55,7%, Sansibar for DeinWhisky 2024, sherry cask)
Nose: this one is quite nutty as well. Raisins with walnut cake, roasted almond, hints of dark ale. Then molasses and toffee, along with chestnut honey. A few earthy notes as well (wet soil) with milk chocolate. Just a little oak spice in the background.
Mouth: hmm, there’s a strange winey side now, with herbs, a sourness and a grittiness that reminds me of some red wine finishes. There’s ginger, nutmeg and Ovaltine too, as well as brighter citrusy notes and Szechuan pepper. Liquorice and black tea come out in the end. Close to the A’bunadhs at times.
Finish: medium length, with black pepper standing out, along with chocolate and mocha.
A rather winey and spicy interpretation that follows the direction of recent A’Bunadhs. No complaints really, but in this line-up the Benriach felt more natural and convinced me more. Still available from DeinWhisky. Score: 83/100