Benrinnes - 1988 Hogshead #885 | Held In Bond

About the distillery

Other Information

This lot offers the buyer the opportunity to own one cask of Benrinnes which was distilled in 1988, held in bond at the Ben Nevis distillery.

Originally filled with Berinnes spirit on 10th March 1988, the whisky has since been maturing in a Hogshead (#885).

The cask was re-gauged on the 12th October 2021, summarising the following:

- Original bulk 248 litres | Original strength 63.9% ABV | 158.6 litres of alcohol.

- New bulk 183.64 litres | New strength 43.2% ABV | 79.81 litres of alcohol.

This would currently yield approximately 262 x 70cl bottles of 33 Year Old cask strength Benrinnes whisky. 

Please note:

1) the cask photo shown is of the actual cask being sold. 

2) the sample is shown for confirmation of the colour only and is not included in the sale.

COLOUR:
Bright gold with a pink tinge.

NOSE:
On the nose this is grass and grain, with a sweet tang like watermint.  There is a comforty of soft banana with the crispness of green apple.  This fruit develops with further nosing to give the sweeter citrus of orange peel.

PALATE:
The fruit of the nose is prominent on the palate and is joined by orchard pears and the oak is underscored with the slight whiff of woodsmoke and nuttiness.  The ginger spice is mellow and warming with the piquancy of a little ground white pepper.  The smoke noted at the start builds a little in intensity and it is joined with a rememberance of peat.  For its age this is an outstanding example of this venerable distillery.

BODY:
Light to medium body is very drinkable.

FINISH:
The medium to long finish continues with the woodsmoke and the spice, beautifully smoothed by the fruits.  In the end it drys and to a slight sea saltiness.

IMPORTANT: 

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the terms of cask transfer at Ben Nevis distillery, the Buyer must be in possession of a valid WOWGR certificate in order to purchase this cask.

 - Annual storage fees and any cask transfer admin fees will become payable by the buyer.

 - Legal ownership of the cask will be transferred to the buyer once payment has been received by Whisky Hammer.  Funds will be held by Whisky Hammer until the buyer is in legal receipt of the cask ownership to protect the buyer's transaction. 

 - Ownership of this cask is auctioned in bond.  The buyer will be responsible for any costs relating to removing the cask from bond in the future (i.e UK excise duty / VAT) as well as any other costs associated with cask movement and bottling.

 - Non-UK buyers must appoint a duty representative to act on his/her behalf for transfer of ownership of the cask (Whisky Hammer can assist in finding a UK representative if required).  The duty representative will need to be registered with HMRC and will normally charge an annual fee for the service.

 - Please note if the new owner is a UK revenue trader (business or private individual connected to the trade), they will need to be registered with HMRC and hold a WOWGR certificate.