Review #117: Benromach Peat Smoke 2005/2013, 46% abv, OB, 67 PPM, aged in first-fill bourbon barrels

more Benromach

67 ppm is really a lot of peat -- it's higher by a fair measure than any of of the Kildalton distilleries. Of course, the phenols in the malt might not make it through the still ...

nose: well, yes, there's peat, but no, not twice as much as Lagavulin. It's an oily and sooty peat, with some funky vegetal notes in back, and then something like the inside of an angry vacuum cleaner (I imagine). There's not a whole lot else going on, but there are lots of nice sweet lemon drops, some furniture polish, and a cracker.

palate: sweet and then peat. gumdrops for an instant, and then the peat: inky and phenolic at first, opening up into weird humusy notes.

finish: sweet, oily, prickly, long. it really is very sweet -- maybe they should put ppm of sugar on the bottle, too.


I find it a little strange that (almost) all the peat monsters (that's lower case) have taken to sweetening up their distillate so much. But it works well in this case -- everything is well integrated and comfortable, even if not super-exciting.

score: 85

Review #116: Benromach 10yr Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 43%, OB

everybody's doing it

There have been a lot of reviews of this recently, occasioned, I guess, by the new packaging. I still have a bottle in the old kit, which I like better anyway. I haven't actually seen the new design in person yet.

This is the little distillery that Gordon and Macphail bought and re-fitted so that they'd still have access to whisky. The 10yr, I hear, is 80/20 bourbon casks and sherry casks, and then gets another year in oloroso butts for fun.

nose: stunningly deep and complex. lots of malt character under layers of smoke and sherry fruit. apples and pears, metallic notes, mint, dried apricots and plums, vanilla custard, toast, and oak spice. The peat is gentle and sooty, but runs through everything else. Some rubbery notes, too -- maybe that's from the sherry?

palate: curiously rich for 43%. smoke and honey, butter and tangy marmelade. bread and exotic wood.

finish: more phenols, sweet creamy fruit, a little licorice.


This is so far beyond most other standard bottlings it's hard to know what to say. There's no way that the price and quality stay on this level -- look for it to double in price and become half as good. (There must be some older whisky, and some really amazing sherry casks, in there.)

score: 88