Benromach - 15 year old - Review

At the start of the year I posted a review of the Benromach 10 year old, which I had sampled at a masterclass at last year's Whisky Live Dublin, and in that review I touched upon the pride I felt Benromach were taking in their whiskies and how whiskies of such obvious quality should be the ones that are paid most attention.

As previously mentioned Benromach are pushing themselves forward by recreating whisky in a style that would've been seen coming from Speyside back in the 1960's and it is certainly paying dividends.

Fast forward to May and excitement grew as Benromach announced the latest addition to their already impressive range - Benromach 15 year old.

Priced at just under £50, the Benromach 15 year old has been bottled at 43% and has been matured in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks.

Upon receipt of a sample I was obviously eager to get the chance to see how this measures up against the very impressive 10 year old.

Onto my notes:

Nose - Rich. Lovely interplay between damp wood smoke, slight menthol and fruits that range from red berries to baked apple to tropical notes of ripe banana and then onto some orange marmalade.  As it softens in the glass a distinct buttery note comes through the gentle smoke.  In time the nose balances out perfectly and retains a zesty zing of citrus.  Spices are minimal in the form of black peppercorn and cinnamon.  With a touch of water a green grassy note appears along with some nice oak char.

Palate - Incredibly smooth and slightly sour arrival.  Sweet oranges and lemon drops are to the front and followed by rich malty notes that border on malt extract.  The smoke is even more gentle on the palate and is also less than what I remember from the 10 year old.  The extra time in the casks has clearly rounded this off very well indeed.  Spicing is again well balanced and again is only the merest hints of cracked black pepper.  With water the sourness eases to allow sweeter notes through.  Buttered popcorn, sweet orange and crisp citrus.  A slight sense of the smoke returns in the form of charred wood and the palate rounds off with light berry and oak spice.

Finish - Lovely length with dry oak spice, red fruits and crunchy red apples.

Overall this is another stunner from the team at Benromach.  With the slight smoke running through the luscious sherry notes they really have, in my opinion, started to get that old style feel to the whisky they are producing. 

Over time I have tried many different whiskies that were bottled long ago, and each time I've tasted them I've always wondered if we would ever see anything similar in the future as the older bottled whisky really is so, so different.  With this Benromach 15 year old I am now starting to see serious similarities.

You could bottle this into an old bottle from the 60's, 70's or 80's and I doubt too many would question that it wasn't from that era.  That said I am honest in saying that my experience of older bottled whisky is not extensive but what experience I have had would definitely add up to this conclusion.

For years people have always asked me what my favourite whisky was and my answer has always been the likes of Redbreast or maybe Balblair and, while they are still answers I shall give, I can now honestly add Benromach into that list.

This really is seriously good stuff and at a price of under £50 some other big companies should sit up and take notice of how easy it is to get things right

Until next time,

Sláinte

SI

 

PS Huge thanks to Benromach for the sample.

 

 

Benromach - 10 year old - Review

From the moment I first became interested in whisky I, like you all, have used the internet as a great resource to learn from and, from following "ralfystuff" on YouTube, I always enjoy getting to the Christmas period when Ralfy reveals his "malt of the year".  Last year was no exception and I was pleasantly impressed when he tore the paper away to display a shiny box of Benromach 10 year old.

Not only does Ralfy always try and factor in value for money, in his malt of the year, but he always manages to get it spot on when it comes to quality and with Benromach he has certainly ticked that box.

Back in October 2014 I headed off down to Dublin to enjoy "Whisky Live" but before the show itself I decided to get myself involved in a Benromach masterclass.  What we were presented with was a story of tradition, quality, passion and whiskies that are being made the way they were many years ago.

Benromach started life way back in 1898 but was closed nearly a century later in 1983.  After being bought by Gordon & McPhail, in 1993, they set about reviving the distillery and recreating a true Speyside style reminiscent of the 1960s. 

Since then they have went from strength to strength and hit the heights last year when the 10 year old won "Best Speyside Single Malt - 12 years and under" at the 2014 World Whisky Awards.

During the tasting we tried a good range from Benromach but in honour of Ralfy's award, and also because it is the easiest to get a hold of, I shall review the 10 year old.

The Benromach 10 year old is bottled at 43% ABV and is a combination of 80% Bourbon barrels and 20% Sherry Hogsheads that has spent it's final year in a first fill Oloroso cask.

Nose - Naturally big on Christmas cake with cinnamon, dried fruit and stewed orange.  Some tropical notes come through with banana being the most easily identifiable.  Milk chocolate, buttered popcorn and warm apple crumble with vanilla ice cream.  There's a slight hint of hairspray in here, which isn't unpleasant, and the faintest whiff of smoke.

Palate - Sweet, very sweet.  Again, big on the dark, dried fruits. Raisin, mixed spice and dried orange peel.  More gentle smoke and nice feel of oak wood.  There's quite a kick to this dram but it's not by any means harsh and the orange flavours continue with more stewed orange and chocolate orange.

Finish - Medium length and very enjoyable with more dried fruit and and a, nicely warming, lingering spice.

Overall this is a very good whisky.  The passion that was spoke of is noticeable throughout the 10 year old, along with all the other whiskies that were sampled.  You can sense that Benromach are taking a huge amount of pride in the whisky they are producing and that can only be a good thing for us consumers.  I would have no hesitation in going back to Benromach in the future to continue my education of Speyside and the story they are telling.

One last thing I would touch upon is the value for money aspect mentioned at the beginning of this update.  What I am starting to see with most family run distilleries, and most distilleries that focus on craft and tradition, is that they don't seem to charge over the odds like some that are all about marketing, or those that are owned by the big companies like Diageo and, with this in mind, Benromach don't seem to be any different with the 10 year old being available for a little over £30.  In my eyes this is a small price to pay for a whisky that exudes so much style and substance.  Whilst I enjoy all whiskies, and enjoy sampling from all styles, these quality bottles are most definitely the ones that should be paid the most attention.

Until next time,

Sláinte

SI