Signatory Benrinnes 1996 53.5%

Tasting Notes

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: light, floral, fruity, and delicate; almond paste-filled croissants fresh from the oven, shortbread, and lemon meringue pie; apricot and melon makes way for more tropical notes of pineapple and plantains; silky and waxy.

Palate: lush, toasty, and decadent; a base of sweet vanilla is topped with lush tropical and orchard fruits; more lemon meringue, shortbread, and warm almond paste-filled croissants; still floral, waxy, and silky with sweet honey and golden syrup.

Finish: warm, spicy, and toasty, the finish is long and elegant with fading fruits, pastries and floral vanilla.

Comment: these 1996 Signatory Benrinnes rarely disappoint, I only wish we'd bought more... but we ordered it blind! 

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.