Signatory Benrinnes 2010 46%

Tasting Notes

Andrew Tasting Note

Nose: thick, dark, and chocolate-y; dark milk chocolate dipped strawberries; Eatmore and Oh Henry candy bars; building licorice and Bit Turks.

Palate: so, so chocolate-y: more Eatmore, Oh Henry, and Big Turks with chocolate dipped strawberries and almonds; leather, tobacco, and candied fruits.

Finish: warming, increasingly spicy, and so so chocolate-y.

Comment: I'm not typically a fan of young Benrinnes, but the Oloroso sherry finish here has rounded this Benrinnes' rougher edges.

Independent Bottler

Signatory Vintage was established in 1988 by Andrew Symington. The quality of whiskies released by most Independent Bottlers can vary a lot, and be rather hit or miss. Signatory Vintage is an exception to this, and we have consistently been impressed by the quality of its offerings. Accordingly Signatory Vintage has been a staple in our shop for more than a decade.

One of the reasons for Signatory's consistently high level of quality is that it doesn't bottle casks in the hand-to-mouth fashion, of many other independent bottlers. But rather it purchases parcels of casks, storing them in their own warehouses, while patiently waiting for the whiskies to mature.

Originally located in Edinburgh, the business was moved to Pitlochry in 2002, after Symington purchased the Edradour Distillery from Pernod Ricard. Edradour is tucked into the hills above the scenic Highland town of Pitlochry. This farm distillery has a charming, rustic, and understated esthetic, which was maintained by Symington when building a new bottling facility and warehousing.

The distillery bottles single cask and small batch bottlings of both single malts and single grains. Its ranges include the Un-Chill Filtered and Cask Strength Collections. In 1988 the firm celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a range of specially chosen, exceptionally rare single casks.