October 15, 2014

The new, trendier Benromach

Benromach’s got a new packaging, which I find pretty cool. The juices aren’t meant to have changed, but this is as good an excuse as any to have a new go at this babies…

Benromach 10 yo (43%, OB, 2014)

Matured in 80% bourbon and 20% sherry, then finished in first fill oloroso for one year. Colour: gold. Nose: a bit old style, with whiffs of sherry and touches of peat, all very welcome. Then a little iron (grandma’s tin box) and more hay, earth, something mineral, just a spoonful of mashed potatoes (Robuchon’s recipe, 50% potatoes, 50% fresh butter) and then droops of cough syrup. Definitely old skool, in a great way. Now that Lochside’s been closed/destroyed for so long, maybe it’s Benromach that’s become ‘the Springbank of the East.’ Mouth: really big at just 43%, maybe even a little harsh and certainly quite grassy. I get some artichoke liqueur, bitter herbs, wood… There’s a smokiness too, and even a wee saltiness. Liquorice wood, brown, tobacco, tea tannins… And it’s got this mustardy side again. Finish: quite long, a notch acrid, with some cinchona and various bitters. Also bitter oranges. Comments: certainly not a smoooooth one. Characterful. SGP:463 - 86 points.

Benromach 'Organic' (43%, OB, 2014)

This one's approved by The Soil Association. How cool is that? Seriously, I've always wondered whether any nasty or nasty-ish elements were filtered out or concentrated during distillation. Pesticides, modified genes, fungicides and such... Colour: light gold. Nose: completely different from the 10. Much rounder, sweeter, easier, with much less of the 10’s ‘old-skoolness’. More vanilla, a touch of coconut, a little butterscotch, a few marshmallows… A very modern nose, pretty harmless. I guess this is quite young. Mouth: the oak feels, there’s quite a lot of cinnamon, green tea, nutmeg and such. Some earth too, and I’d say it’s much, much less mellow than the nose suggested. No coconut, for example, which is great news. Can’t stand coconut in my whisky! So we’re closer to the 10 on the palate. Finish: quite long, earthy, with a touch of oak. Gingery aftertaste, with one strawberry flavoured thing by Haribo. Comments: just like last time I tried these babies, I liked the 10 better. But I liked both. SGP:541 - 82 points.

Check the index of all Benromach I've tasted so far

Pete McPeat and Jack Washback