BenRiach 1994 18 year old Tawny Port Finish review – bottled for Finland

My BenRiach filled May continues with 18 year old Tawny Port Finish 1994 specially selected and bottled for Finland by the great Speyside distillery. The one I’m reviewing was bottled October 2012, cask number 3585 and bottle number 102 of 301.

BenRiach 1994 18YO Tawny Port Finish for Finland is pretty straight forward, when compared to my other experiences with port and smoke combination. I’ve loved every one of them and even though non-complex, I like this one too. This 18YO Finland bottling is sophisticatedly smoky and dry. Mild dryness suits best for my taste.

Twisted and smoky RUSHMORE

Even though I like it, it is quite unsurprising. I guess it’s because everything seems to be sophisticated. Probably I automatically presume that a special bottling should give me a roller coaster ride of taste. Most importantly, I like this dram.Reminds me of Bill Murray’s work. Especially the movie Rushmore comes to mind, a great example of Murray’s dry humor tied in a nice story with some edge. Just like this BenRiach Tawny Port Finish – sophisticated yet dry with a salty and smoky edge in it.

Colour: Golden amber

Nose: Salty and sour. Sea air mixed with sophisticated smoke. Delicately crispy and fruity. I like the nose a lot.

Taste: Bit sour and fruity with salty smoke. Feels like tasting dry berries somewhere near a shoreline.

Finish: Starts with nice dryness, becomes sweet at the end. Different types of currants jump nicely in the aftertaste. Red and black currants linger nicely.

Balance: No way a complex whisky, but still a praiseworthy dram. BenRiach manages to deliver yet again a tasty whisky. Not to mention another good port finished dram. Like a touch of smoky sea air in the forests of Speyside.