Exclusive Sherry Casks – October Tastings at The Whisky Exchange

There is an increasingly noticeable nip in the air and the leaves are taking on the deep copper tones of a sherry-cask-aged whisky. Apt then that this is a style of whisky, with their notes…

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Exclusive Sherry Casks – October Tastings at The Whisky Exchange

There is an increasingly noticeable nip in the air and the leaves are taking on the deep copper tones of a sherry-cask-aged whisky. Apt then that this is a style of whisky, with their notes of sweet spice, dried fruit and nuts, most suited to the season.

In celebration of these whiskies, on Thursday 26 October Billy Abbott, our ambassador, will be hosting a tasting at our Great Portland Street shop exploring a selection of our exclusive sherry-cask-aged drams including our Lagavulin 1991 Cask of Distinction. ⁠

Why sherry casks?

All whisky, with a very small number of exceptions, has to be aged in an oak cask. Particularly in the making of Scotch whisky, these tend to have aged something else previously, with one of the most important being casks that previously held sherry

A solera in action

Historically sherry was shipped to Scotland in huge 500-litre casks called butts, and these, once emptied of their contents, proved ideal for maturing whisky, adding layers of dried fruit and nutty flavours.

Learn more about sherry casks: What was a sherry cask? >

⁠There is an incredible variety of different sherry styles, from delicate fino and salty manzanilla to nutty oloroso, amontillado and sweet, treacly Pedro Ximénez.

These can each leave behind their own profiles as a ghostly presence within the cask. Oloroso, which is by far and away the most common sherry to be filled into whisky casks, brings notes of coffee and nuts to the final whisky, while Pedro Ximénez brings unctuous dried fruit.

How is sherry aged?

All of the different styles of sherry come from the Sherry Triangle in Andalusia in the south of Spain. Here they use an ancient and complex system of solera ageing to create wines in a consistent style.

Solera System

Thanks to Ruben from SherryNotes.be for the diagram

Wine is bottled from the bottom of the solera, but the casks are never emptied. Instead, a third of the wine will be extracted for bottling and the casks will be refilled with wine from the layer above. They are in turn refilled with wine from the next layer up, with new wines filled into the top layer.

These solera casks are very seldom used to age anything other than sherry. In Scottish warehouses, they would repurpose casks that had transported the sherry to age their whisky. A notable modern exception is whisky from Millstone – distiller Patrick van Zuidam loves solera casks, and uses them to create a very different take on sherry-matured spirit, like our own exclusive Millstone 2017.

Learn more about soleras: What about soleras? >

The Present Day

Between sherry’s decline in popularity and a change in the law in the 1980s that stopped its export in casks, the amount of sherry-soaked wood available to age whisky has been seriously squeezed.

Whisky producers have had to step in and support sherry bodegas to ensure a consistent supply, with the value of the wood now greater than the liquid it once contained, and with whisky makers keen to get the most out of these precious vessels.

Sherry-cask-aged whiskies are some of the most exciting and most celebrated of drams and at The Whisky Exchange we are fortunate to have an incredible selection of exclusives to share with you.

The Tasting

Sherry cask tasting

On Thursday 26 October 2024, The Whisky Exchange’s ambassador Billy Abbott (That’s me – ed) will be hosting a tasting of some of our sherry-cask-matured exclusive bottlings. We haven’t revealed the entire line-up, as we like to make sure there are some surprises, but we can reveal that we will be tasting a range of drams to show the versatility of sherry casks. From a refill-butt-matured Benrinnes 2009 to the dark, smoky and sticky solera-cask-aged Millstone 2017, with a pit-stop at our Glenfarclas 25 Year Old London Edition, we’ll be showing off not only what you can do with a cask, but also the styles of sherry-matured whisky that we love.

This very much peaks with our very special Lagavulin 1991 31 Year Old Cask of Distinction, matured in a single first-fill Pedro Ximénez hogshead. It was one of the stars of Whisky Show 2023, and it’s a whisky we’re very much looking forward to sharing again.

If you’re new to sherry casks and want to learn more, or if you are a veteran wanting to taste some excellent whiskies, make sure you come along to the tasting.

Buy tickets >

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Exclusive Sherry Casks – October Tastings at The Whisky Exchange

1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years Review

I’m going to spare any pretense about the 1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years and tell you right now it’s delicious. Everyone who tried this bottle before its demise at my going away party enjoyed it; especially me. I enjoyed it a lot and a lot of it. This once-in-a-lifetime bottle was a multi-celebratory […]

The post 1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years Review appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

I’m going to spare any pretense about the 1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years and tell you right now it’s delicious. Everyone who tried this bottle before its demise at my going away party enjoyed it; especially me. I enjoyed it a lot and a lot of it.

1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years Review

This once-in-a-lifetime bottle was a multi-celebratory bottle. Turning 40 during a lockdown in a global pandemic; coming out of it and getting a new job; marking the end of a 12-year run of living in SoCal; a parting bottle to be shared with my amazing LA friends and family.

In a nutshell, this bottle was the exclamation point on a fun, stressful, impactful, and utterly amazing chapter of my life.

Let’s get to drinkin’!


1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years – Details and Tasting Notes

 

Whiskey Details

Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Style: Single Malt (Scotch)
Region: Highlands, Scotland
Distiller: Benrinnes
Bottler: Hunter Laing

Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon
Age: 40 Years
ABV: 42.1%

1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years Price: NA – Auction, Specialty Store or Private Seller

Related Whiskey

2007 Old Particular Benrinnes 11 Years
Benrinnes 1999 Signatory Vintage 12 Years
Compass Box Orchard House
SCWC Compass Box Glasgow Blend Single Cask
1997 Hepburn’s Choice Macduff 21 Years

White background tasting shot with the 1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.
“When allowed to shine on its own in the very best of expressions, I would put Benrinnes next to Clynelish and Macallan any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.” – Mission Liquor

1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years Tasting Notes

EYE
Light amber

NOSE
Roasted malt, caramel, vanilla, dried orchard fruit, honeycomb, brown sugar, hints of mango, baking spice and buttery oak.

An oily, heavy aroma that moves slowly through the olfactory.

PALATE
Dried orchard fruit, honey, oak, toasted graham, vanilla taffy, butter, nuts, cinnamon and some tropical fruit and leather notes.

Simultaneously dark and light with the earthy/oaky/leather notes and the bright fruit and honey/candy notes.

FINISH
Long -> Complex fruit, oak, caramel and spice fade to a mango/guava honey and earthiness.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Perfectly balanced, full-round body and a heavy oily feel.


1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years – Overall Thoughts and Score

This is duality in a glass and hands-down the best Benrinnes I’ve ever had. I’d even go as far to say that it’s in the top 100 whisk(e)ys I’ve ever had. The way it starts dark and earthy, then shifts to bright tropical fruit notes before settling down into buttery candy notes is fantastic. This Scotch is an experience.

And because I’m enjoying it so much, I’m a tad upset it’s a 700 ml instead of a 750 ml. I want that extra 50ml. Especially now that the bottle is gone. I wish I had that extra 50 ml and had set it aside to save for a rainy day when I was missing my LA fam; savor one last glass of this exquisite 1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years and remember the good times.

SCORE: 5/5 (simply fantastic, can’t recommend enough ~ A/A+ | 94-99)

1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years Review $NA
Overall
5
  • Nose
    (5)
  • Palate
    (5)
  • Finish
    (5)
  • BBF
    (5)
Sending
User Review
0 (0 votes)
Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)

1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years Label

The post 1979 Old and Rare Benrinnes 40 Years Review appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.