I've only ever had the Blair Athol, and I love it a lot. When I first had it, I was pretty new to whisky, and I appreciated the tannic dryness from the sherry cask influence. When I last had it, my palate having matured, it was such a fruit basket to me. Good stuff.
I just LOVE the Benrinnes 15!!! It might just be my favorite whisky at the moment! The nose is spectacular, and the taste is not much worse. Ordered two bottles when we had them in Sweden for a short while (state run licqour sales here but with a decent assortment) without having ever tried it (or seen your review), and I must say that I am SO happy I got two of them. Completely agree with your 89 score. Natural presentation (with the same or better quality in terms of nose and taste) would bring this up to 91 in my book!
Geoff (?) I’ve been binging on your videos for a week now, we both love so many of the same faves/malts - loving what you are doing. I went to a independent bottling tasting a while back, sitting with a whole load of senior guys in my local whisky club, came to one bottle and all I could smell was baby sick. None of the other guys picked it out, and I thought it was maybe my inexperience. The independent bottler then started to explain he picked up this cask of Bruichladdich cheap because the owner didn’t like the butyric acid note, which was present -as it smells of baby sick. He then explained that ordinarily a master distiller would be quite offended if you said their whisky had this butyric acid note, as it’s synonymous with bacteria developing in the wash-backs. Anyhoo, loving what you putting out, do you get many sherried blended malts? Things like Old Perth, Berry’s Bros Sherry Cask or some of the North Star bottles, like Spica, Vega or the newest Mach release? All the best, Roy
Interesting! Bacteria in the washbacks makes sense! One of the biggest perks of this channel is having ppl help fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge! Cheers! 🙂 Cant say I've tried any of those sherried blends. I think the only one of those that I've seen on my local shelves would be the Berry Bros one. Worth checking out, I presume? Thanks for the info, Roy!
@@Gwhiskyif you see the affordable core Berry’s “sherry blended malt” NAS bottle, give it a try. The later editions have a very small Batch number printed on the rear, I’ve picked up half a dozen (it’s a great gift for friends) and found the initial release was amazingly nice, but Batch 2 was a little bit more sulphur than the former, not awful or anything just slightly different. Again, the intel from a brand rep was that the principal release was 14yo Glenrothes rebadged as a blended malt (as Berry’s had just sold the distillery back to Edrington and lost naming rights), can’t speak for the subsequent releases composition tho... but 44.2% ABV is an odd (and interesting) choice! If you ever visit their shop in St James, London it’s unreal - proper Harry Potter looking premises with fixtures and fittings going back over 200 years.
I had a sample of the Benrinnes and loved it. These 3 are the ones I am keen to try most out of the Flora & Fauna set so super cool for a whisky nerd like me that you did a comparison video on the exact 3 I'm interested in. Great minds!
Good review! The Flora & Fauna can be hit and miss so I have tended to avoid them. Regarding the Blair Athol, I recently bought an IB by AD Rattray of an 11 yo bottled at 55.9% after trying through an on-line tasting. I'm really enjoying it - very different and quite a complex wee dram.
Well, that put Benrinnes on my 'to buy' list. I already have a Blair Athol, a Linkwood, a Strathmill, and a Dialuaine, not a one yet opened. Aqvavitae sang the praises of the Dialuaine. I've tasted both the Strathmill and the Blair Athol at the distilleries.
Would be interested to see a ranking video on the "mystery" Islay malts that are on the market, especially the cask/batch strength ones. Thinking Scarabus Batch Strength, Mac-Talla Mara, Finlaggan Cask Strength, Ileach Cask Strength. There must be a real bargain to be had amongst those lot! Not sure whether they're all available where you are though.
Thanks for the suggestion, although not sure if it's viable. A couple of those aren't available in my region, and a couple of them I've had, and I'm not too keen to buy again! But I can say that of your suggestions, Scarabus might be your best bet!
@@Gwhisky Yeah - am tempted by the Scarabus for about £40 UK. The Mac-Talla looks interesting too but it's a bit more expensive so brings it closer to the UK price of things like Machir Bay Cask Strength and Ardbeg Uigeadial.
Of the ones I've tried, the Finlaggan CS (supposedly Lagavulin) and Port Askaig 100 Proof (supposedly Caol Isla) were worth buying again. Not tried the Scarabus, might give it a try.
@@iainj932 Cheers Iain, sounds like the Pork Askaig might be worth a try. Have got a Douglas Laing Caol Ila on the go at the moment that is superb. Any idea where the Scarabus is supposed to be from?
Shame on you Graeme - those labels 🏷 are awesome 😎 I have all 11 on the shelf and they look great. Love Strathmill and Glen Spey, delicious early evening whiskies before some other shiny bottle catches my eye. I rate the Blair Athol higher, it’s just such an interesting dram. Cheers 🍻
Hey always open to suggestions. I'll have to try Strathmill. Had Glen Spey and didn't love it, although it's been ages since I last had it. BTW bottle presentation is just for fun and totally subjective/meaningless. Who's Graeme?
@@Gwhisky Apologies Geoff - got my whiskytubers mixed up! None of the F&F are mind blowing whiskies, but all I've found to be really interesting and I like the capacity to collect the series and all the quirks each represent. As for the subjectivity of the presentation - well you do love the Smokehead bottle, which to me looks horrific ;) lol
Yeah I do appreciate that we get to try these obscure distilleries. F&F is definitely a cool concept.Hit or miss, but the line is interesting and as you said, “quirky.” Lol Smokehead is a truly awful bottle and I love it. 😂
Very interesting, I have never heard of any of those , maybe we just don't have them in the US, I will look for the one you score the highest, sounds like I would like it too, thank you again for your reviews, cheers 🥃
@@Gwhisky ok 👍, I would like to know what would you think of, if it's your interest of course, Lagavulin 9yrs game of thrones, it's one of my favorite,
You’re not the only one that’s picked up a baby puke scent from a Whisky. I’ve heard another pro reviewer who has mentioned that note on older Scotches.
Amazing video . . . these Fauna never came to Ontario, but I got some really old 25-29yo+ of these distilleries UDRM (United Distillers Rare Malt series, black box) - guess what ? THEY MIRROR your reviews here ! ! OMG ! !how canny. ------- Athol is so floral, and perfumy, I often vatt or blend with some thick body malts, like Deveron (MacDUFF) or bring to life the Aberfeldy 16 or 21. . . Happy 2023 !
@@Gwhisky It is very rare but sometimes some nasty bacteria start digesting the cork and that can result in a nasty smell and/or taste. Doesn´t have to be visible.
I've only ever had the Blair Athol, and I love it a lot. When I first had it, I was pretty new to whisky, and I appreciated the tannic dryness from the sherry cask influence. When I last had it, my palate having matured, it was such a fruit basket to me. Good stuff.
It was a bit of an oddball bottle to me. Glad you enjoyed it. Benrinnes is still my favourite! 🥃
Great vid, short and sweet, info-packed, with comparisons - excellent pacey editing.
Thanks Declan! Gland you liked it!
I just LOVE the Benrinnes 15!!! It might just be my favorite whisky at the moment! The nose is spectacular, and the taste is not much worse.
Ordered two bottles when we had them in Sweden for a short while (state run licqour sales here but with a decent assortment) without having ever tried it (or seen your review), and I must say that I am SO happy I got two of them. Completely agree with your 89 score. Natural presentation (with the same or better quality in terms of nose and taste) would bring this up to 91 in my book!
Glad you're enjoying it. It's definitely underrated! 🥃
Geoff (?) I’ve been binging on your videos for a week now, we both love so many of the same faves/malts - loving what you are doing. I went to a independent bottling tasting a while back, sitting with a whole load of senior guys in my local whisky club, came to one bottle and all I could smell was baby sick. None of the other guys picked it out, and I thought it was maybe my inexperience. The independent bottler then started to explain he picked up this cask of Bruichladdich cheap because the owner didn’t like the butyric acid note, which was present -as it smells of baby sick. He then explained that ordinarily a master distiller would be quite offended if you said their whisky had this butyric acid note, as it’s synonymous with bacteria developing in the wash-backs. Anyhoo, loving what you putting out, do you get many sherried blended malts? Things like Old Perth, Berry’s Bros Sherry Cask or some of the North Star bottles, like Spica, Vega or the newest Mach release? All the best, Roy
Interesting! Bacteria in the washbacks makes sense! One of the biggest perks of this channel is having ppl help fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge! Cheers! 🙂
Cant say I've tried any of those sherried blends. I think the only one of those that I've seen on my local shelves would be the Berry Bros one. Worth checking out, I presume?
Thanks for the info, Roy!
@@Gwhiskyif you see the affordable core Berry’s “sherry blended malt” NAS bottle, give it a try. The later editions have a very small Batch number printed on the rear, I’ve picked up half a dozen (it’s a great gift for friends) and found the initial release was amazingly nice, but Batch 2 was a little bit more sulphur than the former, not awful or anything just slightly different. Again, the intel from a brand rep was that the principal release was 14yo Glenrothes rebadged as a blended malt (as Berry’s had just sold the distillery back to Edrington and lost naming rights), can’t speak for the subsequent releases composition tho... but 44.2% ABV is an odd (and interesting) choice! If you ever visit their shop in St James, London it’s unreal - proper Harry Potter looking premises with fixtures and fittings going back over 200 years.
Sounds like an interesting bottle. I'll keep an eye out for it. Thanks again!
I had a sample of the Benrinnes and loved it. These 3 are the ones I am keen to try most out of the Flora & Fauna set so super cool for a whisky nerd like me that you did a comparison video on the exact 3 I'm interested in. Great minds!
Hah great! That Benrinnes is something special. As meaty as any Mortlach you'll ever taste! 🥃
Benrinnes is SO good! (The Daluainne is good too).
Good review! The Flora & Fauna can be hit and miss so I have tended to avoid them. Regarding the Blair Athol, I recently bought an IB by AD Rattray of an 11 yo bottled at 55.9% after trying through an on-line tasting. I'm really enjoying it - very different and quite a complex wee dram.
Yeah... was careful to say that some might like it more than me based on preference. Super weird but very interesting...
@@Gwhisky Should have added, its not sherried.
This was my first Blair Athol, so I can't really comment on the house style. Glad you enjoy yours, never had a 100% bourbon matured one!
Well, that put Benrinnes on my 'to buy' list. I already have a Blair Athol, a Linkwood, a Strathmill, and a Dialuaine, not a one yet opened. Aqvavitae sang the praises of the Dialuaine. I've tasted both the Strathmill and the Blair Athol at the distilleries.
Dailuaine is good but for me the Benrinnes is the best of the lot. Worth seeking out! 🥃
Would be interested to see a ranking video on the "mystery" Islay malts that are on the market, especially the cask/batch strength ones. Thinking Scarabus Batch Strength, Mac-Talla Mara, Finlaggan Cask Strength, Ileach Cask Strength. There must be a real bargain to be had amongst those lot! Not sure whether they're all available where you are though.
Thanks for the suggestion, although not sure if it's viable. A couple of those aren't available in my region, and a couple of them I've had, and I'm not too keen to buy again! But I can say that of your suggestions, Scarabus might be your best bet!
@@Gwhisky Yeah - am tempted by the Scarabus for about £40 UK. The Mac-Talla looks interesting too but it's a bit more expensive so brings it closer to the UK price of things like Machir Bay Cask Strength and Ardbeg Uigeadial.
Sadly no suggestion here. Mac Talla is not available in Taiwan. I know nothing about it. Dealer's choice!
Of the ones I've tried, the Finlaggan CS (supposedly Lagavulin) and Port Askaig 100 Proof (supposedly Caol Isla) were worth buying again. Not tried the Scarabus, might give it a try.
@@iainj932 Cheers Iain, sounds like the Pork Askaig might be worth a try. Have got a Douglas Laing Caol Ila on the go at the moment that is superb.
Any idea where the Scarabus is supposed to be from?
Shame on you Graeme - those labels 🏷 are awesome 😎 I have all 11 on the shelf and they look great. Love Strathmill and Glen Spey, delicious early evening whiskies before some other shiny bottle catches my eye. I rate the Blair Athol higher, it’s just such an interesting dram. Cheers 🍻
Hey always open to suggestions. I'll have to try Strathmill. Had Glen Spey and didn't love it, although it's been ages since I last had it. BTW bottle presentation is just for fun and totally subjective/meaningless. Who's Graeme?
@@Gwhisky Apologies Geoff - got my whiskytubers mixed up! None of the F&F are mind blowing whiskies, but all I've found to be really interesting and I like the capacity to collect the series and all the quirks each represent. As for the subjectivity of the presentation - well you do love the Smokehead bottle, which to me looks horrific ;) lol
Yeah I do appreciate that we get to try these obscure distilleries. F&F is definitely a cool concept.Hit or miss, but the line is interesting and as you said, “quirky.”
Lol Smokehead is a truly awful bottle and I love it. 😂
Very interesting, I have never heard of any of those , maybe we just don't have them in the US, I will look for the one you score the highest, sounds like I would like it too, thank you again for your reviews, cheers 🥃
They're not popular at all, so no idea about distribution in the US, but they are certainly hit or miss. Worth exploring though...
@@Gwhisky ok 👍, I would like to know what would you think of, if it's your interest of course, Lagavulin 9yrs game of thrones, it's one of my favorite,
Can't say I've had it. I'm curious about it, but those GoT bottling are expensive in Taiwan. Can't bring myself to fork out the $$$!
Have you got the scores mixed up?
You’re not the only one that’s picked up a baby puke scent from a Whisky. I’ve heard another pro reviewer who has mentioned that note on older Scotches.
Yeah it pops up from time to time. Kind of q lactic spoiled milk type note.
Amazing video . . . these Fauna never came to Ontario, but I got some really old 25-29yo+ of these distilleries UDRM (United Distillers Rare Malt series, black box) - guess what ? THEY MIRROR your reviews here ! ! OMG ! !how canny. ------- Athol is so floral, and perfumy, I often vatt or blend with some thick body malts, like Deveron (MacDUFF) or bring to life the Aberfeldy 16 or 21. . . Happy 2023 !
Very interesting!
Decay on the Blair Athol? Did you check the cork? 😉
Yeah the cork was fine. I have no idea how it got that flavour...
@@Gwhisky It is very rare but sometimes some nasty bacteria start digesting the cork and that can result in a nasty smell and/or taste. Doesn´t have to be visible.
@@macallanfinerare2552 Could be!