Benrinnes 10yo The Ultimate
Van Wees Independent Bottling | 46% ABV
Finally Spring!
Dreich!
If I were to summarise the weather of the past 5 months here in North-Western Europe, the word ‘dreich’ springs to mind. Seldom there has been a better word I reckon, as ‘dreich’ means exactly what it sounds like: gloomy, rainy, grey, bleak weather, up to the point where Fifty Shades of Grey refers to the colour of the sky more than anything, and that big yellow ball that tends to hover somewhere up there, has rapidly become a distant memory.
Leave it to the Scots then, to come up with a beautifully fitting word for something all-in-all rather unpleasant. Like the Scots, complaining about the weather, in all its pitiful, meaningless mundanity, is a bit of a national sport where I’m from.
We’re quite hard to please in that regard, as the merest spec of snow sends roadside assist services on red alert. Sure enough, in this densely populated area temperatures dropping below zero almost guarantees all traffic is heading for a complete standstill or worse; mass collisions as roads turn into some sort of massive skating rink.
The moment we hit 27°C two days in a row on the other hand, everything becomes ‘too bloody hot’ and alarming news reports regarding the water reserves warn us not to wash the car, water the garden or, if we’re really the spawn of Satan, to fill up the kiddy pool.
Which, by and large, leaves us only a few more or less ‘agreeable’ months of any year: those not quite ‘dreich’ days of April and October, and the usually quite pleasant weather conditions called May and September. Everything else has a big chance of being categorised as either ‘too wet’, ‘too cold’, ‘too hot’ or ‘all of the above’.
Likely these climatological conditions will impact many people’s whisky consumption and appreciation. I know it does mine.
As the days become shorter, colder and wet, fill up my cup with something big, bold and hefty, likely heavily peated as well, why don’t you. The likes of Kilchoman Loch Gorm, Benromach or Kilkerran.
As we switch to daylight saving time again and Spring comes knocking, a lot of us hover more towards the in-between sort of whiskies. Perhaps those not quite as light and delicate as the beloved Glencadam 10, but still similar in profile, while still packing a bit of a punch.
Something like the Orchard House, Campbeltown Loch or...indeed, this bourbon cask matured Benrinnes.
Review
Benrinnes 10yo, Van Wees The Ultimate Collection, 02.07.2012 - 04.2023, First-fill bourbon hogsheads 311147, 311157 & 311159, 46% ABV
£48 paid, reasonably available (in the currently slightly less-dreich areas of Europe)
To many Continental Europe-based enthusiasts, Van Wees with its ‘The Ultimate’ range of indie bottlings will be a household name.
This Dutch company has been around for over a century. Founded in 1921 as an importer and distributor of tobacco with a shift in focus towards alcoholic drinks since the 1960’s, they are covering a lot of the spirits market in the Netherlands and beyond.
As an importer and distributor of literally dozens of brands and companies, it has been said that Han Van Wees was the man who taught the Dutch to drink whisky. Now owned and run by Han’s son Maurice Van Wees, ‘The Ultimate’ as an indie bottler has been around since 1994 , making them probably one of the oldest indie bottlers outside the UK.
As indie bottlers tend to do, the focus of ‘The Ultimate’ lies on single cask and small batch offerings, and the range of releases under the label now expands well over 1,000 casks. They’re one of few indie bottlers around today, not just outside of the UK but ‘tout court’, who have been able to offer us bottlings from almost all Scottish distilleries out there; operational, closed or dismantled.
It indicates the brand’s status, ties and relationship with the Scotch whisky industry, built over the course of decades. It’s likely not a coincidence that they started doing what they’re doing in 1994. It was, in hindsight, probably and ideal moment to step into the whisky game, with the industry just getting back on its feet after the severe blows of the 1970s which paved the pathway to the Whisky Loch of the 1980’s.
They were placed in a position where access to casks was both plentiful and affordable, while at the same time they also had their own mainland European markets as a sort of terra incognita for them to explore and conquer. Not bad for a family owned and run business from Amersfoort.
Nose
Rich and fruity. Forrest berries, some orchard notes and notes of fermented fruit, mixed in with something creamy and a nutty, salty element – reminiscent of walking on beach pebbles. There’s also a distinct grainy-cereal touch, and this dunnage, damp heather note.
Palate
Less fruity and more malty and grainy arrival, and immediately a viscous, oily and mouth coating texture stands out. A very pleasing balance of flavours, with an outspoken and clear salinity sitting aside notes of limestone and linseed oil, a hint of oak and faint wood char, hints of dried oranges and dried red fruits, who are more than happy to dance into a medium long, drying, woody, salty finish.
The Dregs
There’s quite some body to this Benrinnes, yet at the same time it’s lovely and easy going.
Benrinnes is, to many, one of those ‘if you know, you know’ sort of distilleries. It never gained quite the cult status of Springbank or Ardbeg – possibly because there isn’t much available in the way of official releases, but it’s a whisky with, usually, quite some character and weight.
I’ll argue that this recognisability is (partly) due to the fact that they use worm tubs , which tends to give the spirit a certain weight, depth and a somewhat bolder character – a trait we also tend to find in Craigellachie who also rely on worm tubs.
This one too is ticking a lot of my boxes and as I sit here, typing this while it’s indeed ‘4 seasons in 1 day’ outside, I feel it’s exactly the right whisky to welcome in a change in seasons.
Engaging, pleasant and ‘fun’, and a nice delivery of flavours coming from both the spirit and the casks. Yes, the youth shines through and there’s hints of soft oaky bitterness in the mix, but it all balances out wonderfully well. The sort of whisky that could easily win over people new to whisky, while also leaving a more seasoned enthusiast purring happily like a whisky filled kitten. Meow!
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. EA