I have a game. I actually have many games because basically after decades working in offices I’ve gamification is the only way I can get anything done. It’s why I post 3 times a week on this blog purely for the challenge of keeping the unbroken streak and its how I end up with some random bottles in my collection.

The game which led to this purchase is: Buy the cheapest bottle on the local CO-OP each month. Not a catchy title but its about the game not the name. Anyway this was on offer down to £30 so I picked it up.

The label says “The Original Ten” but this is the latest bottling of the 10 year old with a new bottle, new label and new recipe. The three cask’s used are ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry and finally some virgin oak.

The usual price is normally somewhere between £35 and £40 and for that you get 70cl of 43% ABV for the entry level core range at Benriach. Obviously, Benriach was one of the 3 distilleries sold to Brown-Forman in 2016 alongside Glenglassaugh and Glendronach form Billy Walker and co.

Tasting Notes

Colour	pale yellow
Nose	Strong notes of ginger, pepper, wood than I was expecting.
Palate	The raw oak is harsh and gives strong kicks of pepper like you added pepper to your soup but the lid feel off and you lost half the grinder. There is some vanilla and orange notes but I find they only appear half way down the bottle
Finish	The finish is where some of the other casks appear and also that underlying spirit. Giving, coffee beans, cinnamon and baked bread

Where Can I Buy?

Master of Malt – Original 10 Year Old

Final Thoughts

I didn’t really enjoy this to be honest. I think the virgin oak was overpowering and unbalanced the experience. I see other tasting notes which talk about this being more of a soft fruit and mellow dram but I just don’t agree.