Benriach – 1997-2016 19 Year Old Single Cask 8634 UK Exclusive (70cl, 50.8%)

This is a 19 year old Benriach, a Speyside single malt distilled in 1997 and bottled in November 2016 at 50.8%, in a 70cl bottle. It was a UK exclusive release from cask 8634. The whisky matured in that cask before being finished in a dark rum barrel, and the bottling yielded 266 bottles. The nose is described as caramelised Demerara sugar over roasted orchard fruits and apricot jam, with mixed peel and a hint of white pepper. On the palate come toasted oak spices, crisp citrus, yellow plums and rum-soaked raisins over a cracked barley background.