New Release: Benriach 1966-2016 50 Year GM Celtic Label for La Maison du Whisky #606 54.3%

Surely a commemorative bottle from Maison. The specifications and aroma are amazing. Benriach BENRIACH 1966-2016 50yo GM BOOK OF KELLS for La Maison du Whisky #606 54.3% One of 87 bottles, first fill American Hogshead The aroma has a slight hardness but features a rich cask aroma, a concentrated fruity sensation of red jams, chocolate, herbs, spices like clove and cinnamon. The first impression resembles the Longmoor of GM Celtic in many ways. When drinking, similar to the aroma, there is a cask sensation and jam-like fruits, herbs, and spices. Later on, a subtle tropical Benriach character emerges along with a faint chemical note. This is not just a fruity, straightforward cask type like a matured Hogshead; it has depth and rich cask sensations with diverse aromas. Although the cask aroma is strong, it lacks astringency due to American oak, and there's almost no over-ripeness as expected. Truly a Maison product. [Very Good, Interesting] This is the Benriach 1966, so-called Celtic label, bottled only 87 times for La Maison du Whisky's 60th anniversary celebration. It has an astonishing ABV of 54.3% for such a long maturation period, suggesting that Maison likely purchased the cask specifically for this commemorative release. Interestingly, it costs about 180,000 yen per bottle locally, but considering its popularity and specs, it might be considered affordable. However, I can't afford it in any way. This bottle was kindly provided by Caluso of Shinjuku 3-chome, which is celebrating its 12th anniversary. As it's an out-of-town tasting, the note style may differ slightly from usual, please bear with that. As mentioned above, it has a very complex and rich aroma with clear tropical elements in the latter part of the taste. Unlike the dry, sometimes astringent cask sensation of plain Hogsheads, it has an opposite rich cask sensation without much over-ripeness or bitterness. This is very impressive. As a commemorative bottle, it's naturally high-end with specs befitting its maturation age. However, the aroma hasn't been sacrificed at all, making it an amazing Benriach. Also, I'm very curious about what kind of cask this was. It's labeled as a first fill American Hogshead, and Maison added the term 'reconditioned' in their detailed information. However, it's not specified whether it was a bourbon or sherry cask. With long maturation, certain bourbon casks can develop a chocolatey sensation similar to sherry casks, making it hard to distinguish between the two. In fact, some super long-matured bourbon casks from agencies were often mistaken for sherry casks even by trusted tasters. This Benriach has a similar cask sensation to the Celtic Longmoor, but unlike typical bottles from Val d'Isère which often have over-ripeness and strong astringency, it lacks these traits. I think this might be a bourbon cask, but even so, maturing for 50 years in a first-fill bourbon Hogshead without any harshness or impurities is surprising. Perhaps that's the Maison magic. In any case, this is an amazing Benriach worthy of a 60th anniversary commemorative bottle.