Berry Bros. & Rudd Announce 2023 Summer Release Collection
Berry Bros. & Rudd have announced the launch of their latest seasonal collection, the 2023 Summer Release.
The 2023 Summer Release collection consists of one English single malt whisky, one Brazilian rum, one blended malt Scotch whisky, and five single malt Scotch whiskies, all bottled unchill-filtered and of natural color:
Masthouse 2017 Cask #16
Limited to 244 bottles at 59.7% ABV
RRP: £125.00
The nose displays a harmonious balance of fresh tropical fruits and American oak, with the two integrating seamlessly. Aromas of fresh melon, tinned pineapple and buttered popcorn build in intensity. This balanced theme continues on the palate, producing more tropicality and oak-driven coconut with a luxurious mouthfeel. There are further fresh fruits on the palate before some light spices appear. Considering this whisky’s youthful age, it isn’t far short of a masterpiece – one of the best distillates being produced in the UK and even the world.
Exceptional Blended Malt 1979 Cask #5
Limited to 623 bottles at 52.6% ABV
RRP: £450.00
This sublime blend dances out of the glass: aromas of coconut and warm gorse flowers interweave with melting butter and honeyed toast – truly mouth-watering. The palate is at once vibrant and vast, with notes of mango, delicate hemp, wood polish, beeswax and spiced fruit, all rolling around the mouth. The finish offers more fruit, orange and lychee. An exceptionally complex and ever-evolving glass of whisky; if Tolstoy made whisky, it would taste like this.
Small Batch Benrinnes 2010
Limited to 1067 bottles at 46% ABV
RRP £70.00
The aromas of this Speyside heavyweight somehow convey the texture of the liquid itself; honey, fresh hay and warm floral notes all build with citrus and fresh Granny Smiths, emerging with time in the glass. The palate is wonderfully quaffable, showing rounded notes of fruit and golden syrup with the meaty character that Benrinnes is known for. This bottle will disappear quickly when placed at the centre of the card table with a group of good friends.
Glen Moray 2008 Cask #5710
Limited to 232 bottles at 53.5% ABV
RRP: £90.00
The nose immediately offers notes of banana milkshake, praline ice cream, and marzipan with cherry and apricot emerging with time. Dried banana and sweet wheat both show on the palate with waves of vanilla pods, sweet oak and cereals. The finish is long giving cocoa, rice pudding and fruit salad.
Dufftown 2008 Cask #96 Pineau Finish
Limited to 226 bottles at 56.1% ABV
RRP: £100.00
Enticing aromas of stewed apricot, orange marmalade and lemon curd lure one in. The addition of a little water brings out for gentle baking spice and vibrant green fruity distillate notes. The palate is wonderfully fat and chewy, throwing off more apricot, plums and tobacco leaf. There’s a whiff of wood smoke on the finish, along with a touch of wood spice and a mouthwatering, lingering note of fruit jams.
Caol Ila 2010 Cask #311751 Oloroso Finish
Limited to 269 bottles at 56.5% ABV
RRP: £75.00
The interplay of peat and Sherry commences immediately with aromas of tarry peat smoke, rich Oloroso Sherry, iodine and prunes, with a suggestion of fireworks and beef jerky. The palate is equally robust and complex with Caol Ila’s sooty peat smoke wrapped in layers of dried fruit and citrus, with notes of vanilla pods, spice markets and salty coastal breeze building with time. Waves of full, oily Sherry wood roll across the finish, with lasting peat smoke. A robust and vigorous dram, best enjoyed with robust friends over vigorous conversation.
Orkney 2006 Cask #5051 Oloroso Finish
Limited to 549 bottles at 57.1% ABV
RRP: £120.00
This hefty Orcadian gives a huge puff of turfy peat smoke initially, much more so than one expects from this distillery. Soon, further aromas of heather bells, leather and charcoal emerge. The palate brings the Sherry wood influence, with rich dried fruits and soft spices balancing thick smoke, heather, honey and grilled lime. This dram has huge texture, which seems to integrate with its turfy character. More sooty peat comes through on the finish, with waves of fruit and honey. A wonderful, chewy masterclass in Orcadian turf.
Epris 2011 Cask #11
Limited to 281 bottles at 51.2% ABV
RRP: £105.00
This exquisite Brazilian rum from Epris distillery exudes a ripe fruitiness and smoky depth on its first nosing. There is a tarry element with underlying notes of overripe banana cut with lime astringency. Overall, this is elegantly refined and finely balanced. The palate has a grapier taste to it on first approach, before settling and delivering some caramelised elements. The banana returns to soften the initial impact, yet the citrus is plain to be felt. The wood, from American refill barrels and some indigenous Imbuana, is effortlessly integrated. This is an excellent marriage of 80% cane juice and 20% molasses and quite a masterstroke of blending the two. Distilled in 2011, this landed in the UK at 6 years old to mature in our damper climes and seems all the better for it.
The Berry Bros. & Rudd 2023 Summer Release collection is available for purchase via the Berry Bros. & Rudd website.
Photo credit: Berry Bros. & Rudd.
Source: Berry Bros. & Rudd.