Whisky Focus - Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice BenRiach 1997 Review

Review of Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice

Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice BenRiach 1997 was matured in Refill Sherry Hogshead casks and bottled on the 20th March 2014 at 46% ABV.

The Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ range was launched in the mid-1960s’. Until this time, many of the whiskies the range featured would not have been available as single malt.

Today, there are a number of original distillery bottlings available from the BenRiach distillery but very few independent bottlings offering something different from this now very popular distillery so this Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice BenRiach 1997 is a welcome rare off the beaten track of what the distillery offers.

William Morrison's Tasting Notes:

Nose:  Floral, just a touch of sherried fruit, a vanilla sweetness.

Taste: A creamy entry followed by lively pepper and oak spice. Some dark fruit, chocolate, some toffee and a little almond nuttiness stop the pepper and oak spice having all the say.

Finish: Medium length, the fruit and creamy chocolate give way to the oak spice.

Comment: Another expression from G & M which confirms that "The Wood Makes The Whisky". The Refill Sherry Hogshead casks used to mature this BenRiach have imparted just a delicate sherry influence on this 1997 vintage whisky, but the oak still has a big say in its profile. Perhaps a livelier sherry cask may have made this more fun on the fruity side but it certainly isn't lacking on the pepper and oak spice side.

SMW Score 83/100

You can find the full current Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice whisky range available from specialist Whisky retailers such as The Whisky Exchange

As part of the the ongoing series of reviews to demonstrate Gordon & MacPhail's philosophy of ‘The Wood Makes the Whisky’ I have reviewed a number of single malt whiskies from Gordon & MacPhail's whisky Collections: Connoisseurs Choice, The MacPhail’s Collection and Rare Vintage, which demonstrate their philosophy of "The Wood Makes The Whisky".

Recently added Gordon & MacPhail "The Wood Makes The Whisky" reviews:

• Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Tomatin 1997
   
• Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Tormore 1997
   
• Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Ledaig 1999
   
• The MacPhail's Collection Bunnahabhain 2006

Previous Gordon & MacPhail "The Wood Makes The Whisky" reviews:

• Gordon & MacPhail Rare Vintage Smith's Glenlivet 1974
   
• Gordon & MacPhail Speymalt Macallan 2006
   
• The MacPhail's Collection Glenrothes 8 Years Old
   
• Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Speyburn 1991
   
• Gordon & MacPhail Distillery Labels Ardmore 1996
   
• The MacPhail's Collection Bunnahabhain 8 Years Old
   
• Gordon & MacPhail Rare Vintage Glen Grant 1954

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