Benrinnes 20 Years Old 1997 Cask #9731 (Signatory)

Benrinnes 20 Years Old 1997 Cask #9731 (Signatory) is a 20 year old single cask Benrinnes from the Speyside distillery, drawn from a single ex-Oloroso cask, distilled during the partial triple distillation era at Benrinnes. This release was bottled by Signatory Vintage, the Edinburgh-based independent established in 1988 by Andrew Symington. Signatory operates from the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry and is known for its Cask Strength Collection of single casks bottled without colouring or chill-filtration. The release was distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2018, with a small outturn of 212 bottles, for the US market, at 54.9% ABV.

Benrinnes was founded in 1826 by Peter MacKenzie at the foot of Ben Rinnes hill in Speyside, with the current site rebuilt after a flood destroyed the original in 1829. The Edward family sold the distillery to John Dewar in 1922, and it has remained in the Diageo group lineage since. From 1974 to 2007 Benrinnes ran an unusual partial triple distillation system across six stills (two wash, two intermediate, two spirit), with the feints splitting and recombining in a way that has been compared to a two-and-a-half pass distillation. Vapours from all stills are condensed through worm tubs kept at very cold temperatures, restricting copper contact and locking in the meaty, sulphury new make character that has made Benrinnes a stylistic neighbour of Mortlach, Dailuaine and Cragganmore.

The ex-Oloroso butt previously held a dry, oxidatively aged Spanish sherry, with the oxidation generating aldehyde compounds including sotolon, which carry walnut, dried fig and roasted nut character into the spirit. European oak (Quercus robur) is denser and more tannic than American white oak, contributing leather, polished wood and a darker structural backbone. Oloroso maturation suits Benrinnes particularly well, with the sherry depth reinforcing the meaty new make profile into the bone-marrow and dunnage-warehouse character the distillery is prized for among bottlers. Typical tasting notes include old wood, chocolate, citric, dried fruit and fresh fruit.