Review by: dustbunna
Distillery: Benrinnes.
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Region: Speyside, Scotland.
ABV: 50.8%.
Age: 21 years. Distilled in 2004. Bottled in 2025.
Cask type: 15 years refill + 6 years ex-vermouth hogshead.
Price: £25 GBP for 200mL.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 3 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, no significant change at the heel.
Nose: malt, fresh flowers, fresh herbs, oak, very ‘green’ (shoots, leaves, general vegetation), pineapple, Meyer lemon.
Palate: medium body ~ earth, roses, more fresh herbs, underripe pear, water brings out bergamot, slate, rosehip tea, after opening up these start to show up without water, white grapes, a hint of something yeasty/bready.
Finish: medium-long ~ more malt, chalk, moss, yuzu in the background.
Thoughts: One has to wonder what on earth compelled Cadenhead’s to make this: because of the 6 year second maturation in vermouth casks, this 21-year-old spirit cannot legally be called Scotch due to the botanicals present in vermouth. Putachieside was apparently the name of a ‘liqueur’ blend Cadenhead’s used to release in the ’80s and early ’90s, revived for this bottling for this year’s Campbeltown Malts Festival.
I might not peg this blind as being 21 years old in terms of complexity, and I suspect it was a rather bland or flawed cask of Benrinnes that they decided to sacrifice for this wild idea. The result, however, is quite pretty; it starts out intensely herbal and floral, and then moves into a fruitier space that’s more balanced. A bizarre experiment, but it yielded a decent and tasty result.
Final Score: 84.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 