Saturday, June 18, 2011

Whisky of the Month (June 2011): The Pedro Ximenez Twins



Whisky of the Month (June 2011): BenRiach


Apologies for being a day late, but here is the third segment of the BenRiach series of tastings for the Month of June 2011!

This week, the pair highlighted are the peated and unpeated expressions of BenRiach finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry. Pedro Ximenez (or PX), actually refers to a type of grape that is used in the production of Sherry, this type of PX grapes being indigenous to Spain. Recently, PX sherry has no grown into a popular choice of wine casks to finish whisky in. Some people also go on to stress the challenge of finishing whisky in PX due to the strong flavours of the sherry, which have a tendency to overpower the whisky that is maturing in it. This leads to the belief that it is indeed a challenge to mature whisky in PX butts properly, retaining the character of the whisky whilst infusing the subtle influences of the PX.

For this expression of BenRiach, the PX is sourced from the famous Jerez de la Fontera region found in the south of Spain near the port city of Cadiz. So without further ado, presenting the BenRiach PX Twins!


Name: BenRiach 15YO PX Sherry Finish
Distillery: BenRiach (Speyside)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 15YO
Alc/Vol: 46%


This version of BenRiach was very well received by whisky writer Jim Murray, who gave it a whopping 94.5/100, praising its subtle PX influences. I personally felt it was good, but did not give it that high a score.

Nose: Rich and honied, lovely notes of raisins, malt and cocoa. A sharp wine note shows that the PX is definitely present (21)


Taste/Palate: Great stuff! Lovely and creamy with sweet notes of honey, raisins, wolfberries (almost Ginseng like again!). Refreshing notes of Eucalyptus, ripe papayas with a slight note of the PX sherry (24)


Finish: Sweet and oaky with some more Papaya, but a slight sour note hampers it. Trails off too quickly as well (21)


Overall: Great flavour, but the nose and finish lag behind a little (22) 88/100




Name: BenRiach 12YO Heredotus Fumosus (Peated with PX Finish)
Distillery: BenRiach (Speyside)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 12YO
Alc/Vol: 46%


The peated sister of the BenRiach PX finishes is good stuff, but in general, there is a feeling that the Peat dominates the Sherry in this case

Nose: Sweet smokiness reminiscent of honey glazed ham mix nicely with notes of honey and malt. The PX influence fights hard, but is left behind sadly (22)


Taste/Palate: Nice and oily with a real sweet sherry kick before the gentle peat comes in. Notes of salted capers, smoked ham, basically the rich saltiness one gets with preserved food. (22)


Finish: Rich and smoky with floral notes (21)


Overall: It is a great whisky, but unfortunately I don't feel it balances that well, especially with the PX influences (19) 84/100


Found at: Drinks Fellas

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