BenRiach The Twenty One 21 years old Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 46%

Four cask types in one bottle sounds like something that could easily go wrong. Twenty-one years is long enough for the casks to find one another, and the result is more coherent than the arithmetic suggests.

The expert's description

BenRiach The Twenty One 21 years is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky matured in bourbon casks, sherry casks, virgin oak and red wine casks and bottled at 46 %.

Four cask types is the house approach in the older bottlings. Bourbon gives vanilla and honey, sherry dark fruit, virgin oak spice and structure, and the red wine casks add a fruit acidity that keeps the whisky fresh despite its age.

Twenty-one years is enough for the oak to leave a clear mark without the fruit disappearing. The bottling sits in the middle of the age ladder of the house, between The Twelve and The Twenty Five.

Tasting notes

Nose

Elegant with notes of light smoke, fruit, honey and spice.

Palate

Candied grape, cocoa and smoked pine nuts. The colour runs golden as honey, and the palate follows.

Finish

Caramelised pear and honey with a good long close.

Specifications

Name: BenRiach The Twenty One 21 år
Distillery: BenRiach
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
Age: 21 years
ABV: 46 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks, sherry casks, virgin oak and red wine casks
Edition: The Twenty One 21 år
EAN no.: 5060716140013

Flavour profile

Fruity · Honeyed · Spiced · Lightly smoky · Full bodied

Investment potential

Medium. Twenty-one year old official bottlings exist in limited quantity, and stocks of BenRiach from the early 2000s are shrinking. Age stated bottles in that class hold a steady position on the market.

Did you know?

Red wine casks are among the least common cask types in Scotch whisky. They give fruit acidity and a light tannin edge, but they must be used carefully, since the tannins can quickly turn a whisky dry.

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Frequently asked questions about BenRiach The Twenty One 21 år

Why four cask types?

Because each solves its own task. Bourbon gives vanilla, sherry dark fruit, virgin oak spice and red wine fruit acidity. Over long maturation the combination gives more layers than a single cask type could.

Is it peated?

Only lightly. There is a suggestion of smoke on the nose and a note of smoked pine nuts on the palate, but the whisky builds mainly on the unpeated spirit of the distillery.

What do red wine casks do to whisky?

They add fruit acidity and a light tannin edge that keeps the whisky fresh. They are rarely used in Scotch whisky and typically only as a smaller share of a composition.

How does it differ from The Twenty Five?

Four years and one cask type. The Twenty Five uses Madeira casks instead of red wine and has longer in cask, which gives more depth and less freshness.

Does it need water?

At 46 per cent it is ready to drink. Pour it into a whisky glass and give it ten minutes, so the four cask types gather into one whisky.

Does it suit a collector?

Yes. Age stated official bottlings above twenty years grow fewer, and BenRiach from the early 2000s exists in limited quantities.