BenRiach 1979 and Bunnahabhain Mhona 2007 for Shinanoya

Post by Stefan Van Eycken, Tokyo

Hardly a week goes by without some new treats from the guys at Shinanoya. This time round, they've found two rather special casks. One is a BenRiach 1979 (32yo, cask #11408), drawn from a single barrel that only yielded ... 150 bottles. This is going to be a mad scramble for crumbs, no doubt about it. BenRiach single casks from the 70s (and 80s, too!) are becoming rare as hen's teeth. Gone are the days when you could just wait a few weeks for another single cask bottling from those years to pop up somewhere around the world if you'd missed out on one. It's fair to say that the Shinanoya guys have a soft spot for BenRiach - this is their 7th bottling (surely you remember some of their glorious previous offerings - the 1971, maybe? the 1976, anyone?) Make sure you get your hands on a bottle of this release before you become all nostalgic about the days when you could still get a 1979 BenRiach at an affordable price.

The second release this week is a peated Bunnahabhain sourced from Berry Bros. & Rudd. Distilled in 2007 and matured for 7 years in a hogshead (#800093), this is young whisky, sure... but don't be deceived by appearances. Who was it said "age ain't nothing but a number"?