BenRiach Drops A 22-Year-Old Scotch Finished In Moscatel Wine Casks

The folks at BenRiach over in Scotland have been on a tear this year, with new release after new release. All that activity comes hot on the heels of their recent acquisition by Brown-Forman this past April. The latest expression to see the light of day is a fascinating one – an over two decades old whisky finished in ex-Moscatel wine casks.

The new BenRiach 22-Year-Old Moscatel Wood Finish Scotch, according to the distillery, was originally matured in American bourbon barrels before being finished in Moscatel wine casks from Portugal and Spain for an undisclosed amount of time. Since Moscatel is a sweet fortified wine, it is easy to assume this bottling took on some of those sweeter characteristics, which seems confirmed by the official tasting notes at the end of this article.

BenRiach is positioning this whisky as a limited edition bottling, bottled at 46% abv and non-chill filtered/natural in color, though it has not disclosed how many bottles are being released globally.

“Moscatel is a sweet fortified wine, hailing from Portugal and Spain, which adds a buttery-soft, spicy and fruity dimension to the whisky,” said BenRiach sales director Alistair Walker in a prepared statement. “The result is a superlative malt in the classic BenRiach style. It is lusciously rich, velvety and full-flavoured, delivering superb dried fruit and honeyed sweetness, like a good apple crumble.”

Nose 
A full, sumptuous nose consisting of dark orange marmalade, rich fig syrup and sweet dates. A dusting of cocoa and cinnamon followed by a gentle hint of garden mint adds a luxurious character.

Palate 
Rich, velvety dark chocolate fondant topped with glazed maraschino cherries develops to plum cordial and spiced honey. The long finish is rounded with a gentle, earthy balance of nutmeg, stewed barley and old vintage leather.

Finish 
A rich body laden with dark Mediterranean fruits and a complementary balance of warm spices and delicate oak characters.