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Intro:
This is a Benriach single cask bottled for Astor Wines in NYS. It is 18 years old, bottled at cask strength with no filtration, coloration and port matured.
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Nose:
Rich stewed fruits, honey, cocoa and caramel. Nutty, nougat, strawberry preserve. Oak, tobacco, pepper.
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Taste:
Thick and rich - a little heat. There is some oakiness here and some nice pepper to pair well with cocoa and caramel. Mild sulfur. Tons of really rich fruits, cherry, strawberry, fig and a faint wisp of smokiness.
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Finish:
Long, dry and oaky. This blends well with lots of sweet fruits.
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Overall:
I really enjoyed this but it did lean a hair on the oaky, dry and tannic end of things for me. This was a nice balance to keep it from being too cloyingly sweet with all of that sweet fruits but it was a touch heavy handed.
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Score:
7
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources