Darkness 14 years old, P.X. Sherry Cask Finish /55,3%/ – Malt, and That Boutique-y Whisky Company. The whisky presented here comes from Benrinnes Distillery, and after being aged in refill casks for 14 years was finished in ex-Pedro Ximénez sherry octave for about six months. Octave casks (from the Latin ‘octavus’ what meant ‘eighth’ have capacity of roughly 50 liters or 1/8 of the volume of sherry butt). Benrinnes, founded 1826, is a medium size Speyside distillery; equipped with six stills produces 3.5 million liters of spirit per annum. Most of the output goes into Diageo’s blends, mainly Johnnie Walker, Crawford’s and J&B.
Nose: distinctive sherry notes, raspberries, cranberry relish, milk chocolate, almond croissant, raisins and sultanas, mocha, dash of cinnamon and clove.
Palate: chocolate-coated raisins, cherries, raspberry jam, prunes, hazelnuts, toffee, honey, cinnamon, dash of white pepper and sherried oak.
Finish: fairly long, with notes of sherry, milk chocolate, raisins, dried apricots, white pepper, allspice and oak.