Scotch Review #105: Benrinnes 15 Year Flora & Fauna

Distillery: Benrinnes

Region: Speyside

ABV: 43%

Age: 15

Price: £62.00 before VAT refund.

Color: 1.4, Tawny.

Nose: (according to the wife) Lots and lots of golden raisins and white grapes. There’s some orange peels and a really dark, damp oak. Slightly earthy. Overall, very lovely to smell.

Palate: Thick, almost syrupy on the tongue. The sherry influence on this is absolutely there, it’s not quite a sherry bomb but it’s ever present. Fruit pops up here in several forms: dried apricots, golden raisins, orange peels, and a mix of really sherry drenched dark fruits. There’s a hint of oak but not a whole lot. With some water, fresher fruits come out in the form of apple and pear. More sherry comes forward as well along with sugar.

Finish: Long. It starts savory-sweet with some very creamy sherry. That gives way to a sugary milk tea, almost the type you’d get from a boba place, with some vanilla and a very rich, drenching rum raisin cake. With a bit of water, there’s a note toward the end that really reminds me of amaretto.

Conclusion: This is the first I’ve had of Diageo’s Flora & Fauna series. They really don’t tell you a whole lot about the whisky, just where it’s from and how old it is. It’s a bit of a shame as I’d love to know more about this one. It’s absolutely fantastic. The nose starts you off with some lovely notes of fruit and a hint of earthiness. The palate is chock full of layers upon layers of flavor. The finish is oh so fantastic with a bit of savory-sweet, that sugary milk tea note is unforgettable. This may honestly be the best bang-for-your-buck whisky I’ve ever had the pleasure of trying. I can only imagine how good that 23 year old from a few years back was. Would I buy another bottle? I already have.

Final Score: 90.

Scotch Whisky review #105, Speyside Whisky Review #41, Whisky Network Review #136

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.