Tasting notes

Ben Bracken Speyside

The discounter LIDL has several single malts in its range, including the Ben Bracken Speyside, which is described as light and fruity. We took a closer look at the whisky.LIDL does not reveal which distillery is behind Ben Bracken. All we know is that we have a whisky from the Scottish Speyside at a bargain price in our glass. The packaging is dark red, which distinguishes it from the other whiskies in the series. There is also a Highland peated, a Highland unpeated and an Islay Scotch.

The panel

Marcel
59
Sascha
59

Mean 59.0 · spread 0

Value for money 4/5

Bottler
Clydesdale
Type
Single Malt
Region
Speyside
Country
Scotland
Strength
40% ABV
Character
mellow

Tasting

Nose

The Speysider opens remarkably voluminous, smelling of beeswax candles, pear and apple and especially without strong alcoholic sharpness. In the background a maltiness and dried straw. The smell reminds a little of hay bales.

Palate

The beeswax also continues in the taste. At the same time creamy and syrupy, but still tasting of mealy apples, the aromas fan out further. In the background, hay again and, with a little imagination, a ripe banana.

Finish

An indefinable and unfortunately disgusting note in the finish ruins the medium-long and otherwise nut-cake tasting finish.

Verdicts

Marcel

The Ben Bracken Speyside surprises with its creamy honey note and a fruity touch that immediately invites you to keep drinking – until the finish unfortunately ruins it all. For a discount store whisky, it’s quite decent, but the odd finish takes the wind out of the sails. If you’re looking for uncomplicated enjoyment, it’s worth a look, but not a must.

Sascha

The Ben Bracken Speyside offers an appealing balance of waxy and fruity aromas at a moderate 40% ABV, but shows weaknesses in the finish quality, which is marred by an indefinable note that clouds the overall impression. The lack of an age statement and the moderate aromatic depth suggest this is a relatively young whisky that, despite some good elements in flavor, doesn’t rise above the average. For beginners on a budget, it’s worth an optional try, but for connoisseurs, it’s not very exciting.

What it is worth

No auction record for this distillery, so we cannot tell you what this bottle is worth. We would rather say that than guess.

Source

Tasting note and scores by WHISKY:EDITION — tasted by Marcel and Sascha, published 2022-09-17.