2003 Bendiness SMWS 36.58

Category - Single Malt

Distillery - Benrinnes

Bottler - The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)

Bottling series - Chilli porridge sprinkled with flowers

Vintage -23.04.2003

Bottled - 2012

Stated Age - 09 years

Cask Type - 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel

Cask number - 36.58

Number of bottles - 256

Strength - 58.0 %

Size - 700 ml 750 ml

Benrinnes 2003 – SMWS 36.58

“Chilli porridge sprinkled with flowers”**

Speyside • 1st‑Fill Ex‑Bourbon Barrel • 58.0% ABV • 256 bottles

Appearance - Lemony straw, bright and youthful, with quick, lively legs.

Nose - The SMWS note on your tab describes “oodles of fruit… marzipan… hazelnut… marshmallows… iced caramels… fudge… sherbet… custard creams” with floral and woody touches.

Expanded into full sensory structure:

Fresh orchard fruit: apple, pear, lemon, passionfruit

Dried fruit: raisins

Confectionery: marzipan, marshmallow, iced caramel, fudge, sherbet, custard cream

Nutty & floral: hazelnut, sweet blossoms. Light wood & spice: soft oak, fragrant sawdust. A bright, dessert‑leaning nose with Benrinnes’ earthy backbone kept subtle.

Palate - SMWS describes it as “hot and sweet… pencil chewing… Mexican hot chocolate… chilli porridge sprinkled with sweet flowers; then passion‑fruit and hay.”

Expanded:

Sweet heat: chilli warmth, cocoa spice, Mexican hot chocolate

Cereal & texture: creamy porridge, toasted oats

Floral sweetness: sugared petals, meadow flowers

Fruit: passionfruit, baked apple, hay‑like dryness

Wood & earth: pencil shavings, light tannin, dry maltA lively, spicy, slightly eccentric palate — classic SMWS fun.

With Water

Your tab notes: “dusty and chalky – popped rice, rainbow drops, hay, plywood, peaches… herbal, medicinal and tobacco notes… gooseberry chews, flower bulbs, chocolate‑covered pretzels.”

Expanded:

Dusty & chalky: powdered sugar, chalk dust

Cereal & sweetshop: popped rice, rainbow drops

Fruit: peaches, gooseberry chews

Herbal & savoury: medicinal herbs, tobacco leaf, flower bulbs

Sweet‑salty: chocolate‑covered pretzels. Water unlocks complexity and a quirky sweet‑savoury interplay.

Finish - Medium‑long, warm, and gently spiced. Chilli warmth, cocoa, dry oak, hay, and soft floralsA final echo of fruit chews and light nuttiness

Distilled: 23 April 2003

Bottled: 2012

Age: 9 years

Cask: 1st‑fill ex‑bourbon barrel

ABV: 58.0%

Character: Fruity • Confectionary • Spicy‑sweet • Floral • Slightly eccentric

A bright, spicy‑sweet Benrinnes bursting with orchard fruit, marzipan, fudge, sherbet, and hazelnut. The palate brings chilli heat, cocoa, porridge, and sugared flowers, finishing with hay, peaches, herbs, and chocolate‑pretzel notes when diluted. Playful, expressive, and unmistakably SMWS.