On Monday I had a review of a Benrinnes 22, 1995. Here now is a review of another Benrinnes 22, 1995. Though Monday’s was bottled by the Paris store, La Maison du Whisky and today’s was bottled by Signatory, there is a pretty good chance that the source is the same. I don’t mean the distillery but Signatory themselves—as I noted on Monday, I’ve read before that they are the sources of LMDW’s casks (and also of some other EU stores and bottlers). At any rate this cask is just a few numbers away from Monday’s: that was hogshead 9063 and this is hogshead 9065. You may recall that I really liked Monday’s whisky. If this one is as good I will be very happy no matter what the nature of their sourcing may have been in reality. I believe this cask was bottled for the Nectar, a Belgian importer and wholesaler whose Daily Drams series is well-regarded (and from which I’ve previously reviewed a few releases). All signs point to a good outcome. Let’s see if that proves to be the case.

Benrinnes 22, 1995 (50%; Signatory for the Nectar; hogshead 9065; from a bottle split)

Nose: Oh this is even fruitier than Monday’s cask. It’s a similar honey-drizzled fruit basket (apples, pears, nectarine, pineapple) but more intense and sweeter. The leafy/grassy note is here too but lighter. After a minute or so there’s quite a bit of lemon peel and a bit of malt that takes the whole in a muskier direction. As it sits the leafy note expands a bit but so does the fruit and malt; the lemon peel is quite pronounced (and waxy) now and there’s some cream/custard as well. Water brings out some pastry crust and pushes the lemon peel back a bit.

Palate: Comes in with the lemon leading the way and then the rest of the fruit begins to expand dramatically turning quite tropical as I swallow. Lovely texture and very approachable at 50%. A little more wax and a bit of pepper on the second and third sips. The pepper expands a bit and then with more time the metallic note from the finish pops out earlier. Okay, let’s add water. Maybe I added too much water but it makes it more indistinctly sweet.

Finish: Long. The tropical fruit notes build (ripe pineapple, passionfruit, tart-sweet mango) and then a slight metallic note emerges at the very end. The pepper keeps going here too once it shows up. As on the palate with water.

Comments: I liked Monday’s Benrinnes a lot and I like this one even more. Ah, I wish I had a whole bottle! And if I did I’d drink it neat.

Rating: 90 points.