Cadenheads Benrinnes 18yo Authentic Collection March 2025 & Cadenheads Glenrothes-Glenlivet 16yo Authentic Collection March 2025

Cadenheads Benrinnes 18yo Authentic Collection March 2025

Region: Speyside

ABV: 52.2%

Price: £80.00

Distilled in 2006 and transferred to an Manzanilla hogshead in 2020, this whisky was bottled in March 2025. A total of 258 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with orange essence, sea salt, clove spice, warm pureed ginger with some brown sugar too. We're also finding a bit of nuttiness, toasted hazelnut, cough syrup and choux pastry. There's good alcohol integration, it's got a bit of warmth coming through but nothing too punchy. Time and air brings out sultanas and a little bit of soap.

Palate

The palate opens with lots of orange essence, candied ginger, walnut cake, raisins and some cherry cola. There's a menthol note riding through the palate but this dissipates towards the finish leaving mostly cherry and cinnamon. The mouthfeel is good, maybe slightly thinner than we'd like but there's a punch of flavour that comes through keeping us interested. Time and air accentuates the cola notes, raspberry jam, and more of the cinnamon. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose feels a bit more integrated, lots of coffee cake, cinnamon, brown sugar, and menthol cherry aromas coming through. It feels warmer, richer, and overall better quality to us. There's still a little bit of soapiness that we also found on the unreduced nose which seems to be sticking around. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has a more citric, acidic quality, fizzy peach sweeties, moving into toffee, salted caramel chocolate buttons and cinnamon chewing gum. Again, the reduced version feels like it has better integration between cask and spirit, although perhaps a tad spicier. 

Conclusion

A well done sherry finish, the Manzanilla is giving an interesting coastal quality to the nose, and all of those stereotypical sherry flavours to the palate. It feels like a modern sherry finish which is no bad thing, although perhaps a bit disjointed with the spirit. We still enjoyed it though, and would happily drink a dram.

Score: 7/10

Value

We’ll be honest—we expected this to be more expensive.

Cadenheads Glenrothes-Glenlivet 16yo Authentic Collection March 2025

Region: Speyside

ABV: 62.8%

Price: £75.00 

Distilled in 2008 and matured in a Oloroso hogshead, this whisky was bottled in March 2025. A total of 114 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with rich sherry.. not in an overpowering way, but a well integrated, heavy, old school style. We're getting dates, light brown sugar, cocoa powder, star anise and a drizzle of raspberry coulis. There's a slight muddy, dirty, earthiness here, alongside worn leather and pickled walnuts. Time and air brings a little more tannin out, we're reminded of some well aged port wine.

Palate

The palate follows suit with a blast of deep, rich, old school sherry, chocolate covered dates, cinnamon sugar doughnuts, hazelnut praline, fudge brownies, and cinder toffee. The texture is thick, rich caramel sauce, it coats the mouth incredibly well.. moving into the finish which lasts for a good while with lots of chocolate coated nuts. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose gives us a real aged tawny port aroma, lots of caramel, toffee, oxidised wine, alongside some cherries and chocolate. This gives the dram an older whisky sensation, however there's still a good whack of spice behind it. The time in the glass has definitely transformed this, it's lost a bit of that complexity but still noses very well. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate comes in with lots of chocolate and caramel, slightly cheaper chocolate, more brown sugar, creme brûlée, toasted almonds and those older tawny port flavours - we could definitely be convinced this was a port cask after water is added. 

Conclusion

We're always excited to try full maturation sherry matured whiskies, they're a little harder to find but can deliver some incredible flavours and aromas. This is a sherry bomb in the best way - not sickly sweet, not astringent, just powerful, rich and relatively complex. Slightly punchy on the alcohol but there's enough flavour here to balance that out.

Score: 8/10

Value

Not as good as today’s other release, but still a worthwhile deal.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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