Thompson Bros Benrinnes 1997 27yo & Thompson Bros Bunnahabhain 11yo (Oloroso Hogshead)

Thompson Bros Benrinnes 1997 27yo

Region: Speyside

ABV: 51.9%

Price: £197.00

Distilled on 27 October 1997 and matured for twenty seven years in a single refill hogshead, this Benrinnes was bottled in May 2025. Only 170 bottles were released. 

Nose

The nose is initially a touch tight, but patience pays off with lemon peel, Werther's Originals, cloudy homemade lemonade and brown sugar. Behind those notes there are cherries, strawberries and dried mango, with a little wet oak and a hint of dunnage warehouse funk. The alcohol is well integrated, with very little in the way of alcohol spice showing. 

Palate

The palate opens with warehouse funk, caramel wafers, and toffee apples, while the mid palate has Turkish delight, tobacco leaf, vegetable crisps and strawberry jam. The mouthfeel is satisfyingly oily and the finish a good length, with pepper spice mixing with lingering fruit and caramel. The spirit and wood are well balanced, with the cask giving enough sweetness to balance the spirit.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose has more synthetic sweetness, think toffee, vanilla ice cream, custard and caramel. These notes push the fruitier note into the background. There’s more alcohol spice now, and because of that we’re leaning towards the undiluted version.

Palate (with water)

On the reduced palate the sweetness has transformed somewhat, now revealing prunes, extra tobacco and a generous helping of cocoa powder. Mouthfeel remains relatively unchanged and the finish gains a a bit more spice. Again, we prefer the unreduced palate.

Conclusion

A well aged Benrinnes that rewards a little patience in the glass. The refill hogshead has worked well with the distillery spirit adding a pleasant sweetness and a little complexity. A dram that’s score well in all categories, but a few nitpicks such as a tight nose pull the score down slightly.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

At just under two hundred pounds for a well aged single cask Speysider this feels competitive in today’s market.

Thompson Bros Bunnahabhain 11yo (Oloroso Hogshead)

Region: Islay

ABV: 56.1%

Price: £75.00

Distilled in 2013 and matured for 11 years in an Oloroso hogshead, this peated Bunnahabhain was bottled in 2025 at cask strength. Just 381 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with gentle peat, charred wood that gives the feel of an STR cask, plus coastal sea spray, green apple skins and a squeeze of lemon juice. With air comes caramel sauce, gingerbread and a touch of hessian cloth. The alcohol is nicely integrated, but the distillery DNA feels hidden, which is surprising given this is hardly a Sherry bomb.

Palate

The palate begins savoury with mushroom soup, behind that cold ash, burnt bacon rind and the singed paper. Raw ginger spice appears with prunes, chocolate coins, and raspberries on the mid-palate. The sweeter notes dominate through a medium finish. The sherry is subtle, but well balanced against light peat the mouthfeel meanwhile is pleasingly oily.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose opens up to reveal chocolate orange, caramel sauce, crème brûlée, fresh basil and a more concentrated hit of peat. A little extra peppery alcohol appears, but we think it’s a fair trade off to really open up the nose. Hopefully the palate follows suit.

Palate (with water)

The mouthfeel holds up on the reduced palate, while the spice settles into better balance, although it now runs right through the finish. Some dark chocolate bitterness now joins the other flavours on the finish. Outwith that the palate hasn’t wildly changed.

Conclusion

A solid peated Bunna. We favour it with a few drops of water for the improved nose alone, and while the palate doesn’t suffer from dilution, it never quite reaches the same heights. It’s far from a bad dram, just one that promises slightly more on the nose than it delivers on the palate.

Score: 7/10

Value

At seventy five pounds it feels like a good deal in today’s market.

• 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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