
April 24, 2018

Mach 2, or two Benromach

I know, I know, and I’m not even trying to mean Benromach is a ‘fast’ whisky. What’s sure is that there’s a brand new ‘20th Anniversary’ bottling, which we will taste, as well as an older glory that came out last year and that we just must try before summer!

Benromach ‘20th Anniversary Bottling’ (56.2%, OB, 3,000 bottles, 2018)

Benromach 1998/2018 ‘20th Anniversary Bottling’ (56.2%, OB, 3,000 bottles, 2018)
A brand new NAS (CORRECTION it's a 1998, as see on the brand's website) vatting just done to celebrate the distillery’s reopening that took place in 1998, after G&M had bought it in 1993 while it had been silent since 1983. I have to say I love old-school sentences such as ‘Desired by many, owned by few’, which comes with this bottling and reminds me of my beloved ‘You'll forget the price, quality remains.’ Ah the good old days… Colour: gold. Nose: reeks of sweet first fill oak, lemon curd, lemon tarte with meringue, custard, white chocolate, with touches of ginger in the background. There’s really a lot of custard, while the distillate’s usual smokiness remains extremely discreet. With water: there are wee whiffs of hay but it remains candied and citrusy. Limoncello-y, as we sometimes say. Mouth: rather punchy and really very citric, with some lime and some cider apples, then custard again, a touch of icing sugar, limoncello again, candied angelica… With water: once again the grassy/smoky side comes out a little more – and ginger as well. Finish: medium, well carved, with an oak that remains sweet rather than too spicy. I’m glad they didn’t use (red) wine. A touch of tonic water in the aftertaste. Comments: no ideas how old this is, but frankly, it was very well done. Good use of very active oak, even if I tend to like the much smokier ‘regular’ 10 yo even better (WF 88 last year).
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Benromach 1977/2017 (56%, OB, refill bourbon hogshead, cask #1268, 225 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: it sure was a different spirit, rather more on apple peelings and with a wee metallic touch that does well. Goes towards passion fruits without getting exactly there, as well as green bananas and guavas. It’s tropical, without being extravagantly so, and gets then more camphory and mentholy after a few minutes. Eucalyptus, thuja wood… With water: massage balm! Mouth (neat): oh very good! White rum, lime, peppermint, crème de menthe, then orange blossom honey, thyme honey… Very very lovely and as fresh as a 39 yo whisky can remain. Well, even fresher. With water: perfect blood oranges with some honey and the tiniest drop of olive oil. You cannot be against this. Finish: medium, very fresh, and rather on the same glorious combo orange/honey/olive oil. Comments: mea culpa, I should have tasted this perfect beauty distilled by previous owners United Distillers (now Diageo) earlier.
SGP:651 - 91 points.

In a way, I found the new ‘20th’ closer to the distillery’s older style than to its modern ‘higher-impact’ profile.

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