Tokaji finishes are always a huge risk, if I’m honest. The good ones are very hard to come by, and most of them are at best interesting. I seem to remember an interesting Longrow of which, more than a decade after trying it, I’m still not sure whether I really enjoyed it or not.
It tends to bring really big and slightly funky flavors to a whisky, with lots of overripe fruit, leather and hessian. Add to that that Benromach already tends to be big and rich and often also funky. It might go over the top. Let’s find out!
Sniff:
Strangely sweet with lots of overripe fruit. Funky too, with honeyed porridge, a slight rubbery note like the noses of all-star sneakers. Lots of wood, fresh shavings and hot sawdust. Very rich.
Sip:
The palate is still rich, but far less intense than the nose. The lower abv is quite noticeable. Less sweet too. Still focused on oak and fruit, dry fruit. Not dried.
Swallow:
Back to leather, rubbery things, overripe fruit. Far less oak, very strange.
So, a lot of predictability here. Very heavy and rich, with overripe fruits as expected. Lots of oak too. The lower ABV doesn’t really help the whisky, a bit more alcohol might have offset some of the sweeter notes. The rubbery note is the thing I have the most issues with. It pops up randomly and doesn’t really help with the balance and enjoyment of the whisky.
But, having said all that, as far as Tokaji finishes go, it’s not too bad at all. The richness of the Benromach does help a bit, so it’s not completely overpowered by the cask.
84/100
Surprisingly, this is still for sale for € 269 in Germany