Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to another instalment of Two Drams A Day, where I get to explore the minuscule differences between a carefully selected pairing, take down these notes in real-time as I sip on the drams, pick out a favourite, and hopefully learn something new in the process. Up for a tasting is the 12th dram from Cask Explorers‘ 2022 Advent Calendar (Diamond Edition), which, to be honest, has been an interesting journey, with not all samples rocking my boat at the price point of luxury Scotch. Today, I’ll be trying the Benrinnes 25-year-old, which I decided to pair up with the Glenfarclas 25-year-old from my personal collection, as I think it matches the style, and of course the age. So, let’s get into it, but first, we need music! Now playing: Carbon In Prose – Salt Water Blood.

This Benrinnes is bottled by Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers (MSWD) as part of their Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask series at a cask strength (as the name implies) of 53.0% ABV. Having tried half a dozen or so of the other bottlings in this series, I have to admit I’ve been a fan of this particular range. The whisky appears to be presented unafflicted here – that is, no colouring and no chill-filtration, and yes, the higher ABV does make a difference in the delivery of the flavour. [For those who might be new to this, cask strength refers to the natural strength of the whisky as it comes out of the cask without any dilution. Many enthusiasts prefer this as it allows them to adjust the strength to their liking by adding water]. So yes, it does win the integrity star right away. But, more importantly, I think the cask selection is sublime. Celebration of the Cask is the brand’s middle range, with the higher one being Family Reserve [I don’t think I’ve tried any yet], and the lower one just called Strictly Limited, which, I would say, is pretty good, but honestly the “celebration” is much better. The Benrinnes distillery is from Aberlour in Speyside and is owned by Diageo, which, as you may have already guessed if you have followed this site, is using it for its many blends. It’s pretty dark in colour, as clearly influenced by the sherry butt in which it spent all of its 25 years since 1996. It’s pretty viscous, chewy, and rich in flavour, like red cherries dipped in chocolate, leaving behind a very long, beautiful finish that fades into tobacco and even some spice.

The Glenfarclas needs no real introduction – it’s one of the few remaining family-owned distilleries in Scotland, with a rich history and a reputation for producing consistently great sherried whiskies. At 43% ABV, this 25-year-old is lighter and definitely thinner (I think it is chill-filtered but uncoloured, so no integrity star). It’s a well-balanced whisky, with not a single note out of place in the chorus of its wonderful song. The sherry influence is clear, and it’s beautifully echoed in the long finish. It needs just a tiny drop of water to open up, and then you can easily drink this by the fire, glass after glass. Returning to the first dram, the Benrinnes is sweeter and still sharper with water, and although it definitely feels richer, it’s almost too much – like a full-on dark chocolate cake where you can only handle one bite at a time. I’ll add some water again and see if I can bring it down to the Glenfarclas levels – here, I want to see if the alcohol is hiding anything that may be revealed. The Glenfarclas is as is – a perfectly rounded whisky. Yes, I could have used it at another three to six per cent alcohol more, but you know what? – it works well in this presentation, and honestly, there’s nothing to complain about here. The Benrinnes makes me stop and think. Yes, there is that pungent ethanol hit, but it’s not invasive or obtrusive, and it carries the flavour very well. I like this dram, and it has delivered. The price may be slightly out of your range, but that’s to be expected with a bottling of a single barrel – after all, there were only 482 of these. Limited releases, especially from single barrels, often see higher prices due to their rarity. As the stock decreases and demand remains, prices will certainly increase.

Distillery / Region	Benrinnes / Speyside	Glenfarclas / Speyside
Producer	Diageo	Glenfarclas
Bottler / Series	MSWD / Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask	Distillery Bottling / core range
Stated Age / Vintage	25 years old / 1996	25 years old / batch
Cask type	“Sherry butt”	ex-sherry
ABV / Cask Strength	53.0% / Yes	43% / No
Non-chill filtered/ Uncoloured	Yes / Yes 🌟	No / Yes
Price	£250+	£275
Did it win? / Did I like it?	Yes / Yes	No / Yes
Would I buy it? / Recommend it?	Yes / Yes	Yes / Yes

So, there you have it, folks, another fantastic tasting. And what about the Benrinnes? Did I like it in the end? Yes, I liked it very much. Would I reach out and buy a bottle? Depending on the price, which will be driven by supply. At the time of this writing, I see some sites listing it for £250+, while the Glenfarclas can be found in the range of £210-275. I think that if it was exactly the same price, then I’d say yes for the unique expression of the flavour. The Glenfarclas is something you can always rely on, but its lower ABV and chill filtration knock it down a notch in scale. With that said, I will proclaim the Benrinnes 25-year-old as the winner of this round and see you next time for another dram or two.