Benromach is a Speyside distillery founded in 1898 by Duncan McCallum and F.W. Brickman and currently owned by Gordon & MacPhail, a brand perhaps more known for their independent bottlings. Benromach makes their whisky using all of their senses: sight, smell, taste, feel. Using only first-filled casks, water from the Chapelton Spring in the Romach Hills they make a subtly smoky scotch that is only lightly peated. The Benromach 15 Year was then finished in ex-sherry casks. We often love a good sherry cask finish. Do you?
Distillery: Benromach
Region: Speyside
Age: 15 years
Strength: 43%
Price: $86.99
Maturation: ex-sherry cask
Location: Forres
Nose: Smoke, honey, molasses, sweet grass
Palate: Peat, brine, olive, white pepper
Finish: Sweet cherry, brine, plum, chocolate
Comments: Water is not the best choice, but it does provide some rebalancing of flavors.
Adam – I think the balance Benromach strikes with their whiskies is superb in general. That sweet smoke is something I really enjoy with the Benromach 15, particularly because it’s not overwhelming and allows a lot of other partners to enter the dance. The nose is just refreshing, like you’re standing along the shore looking out to the sea. Breathe deeply. The pepper along the edges of your tongue never ventures into spicy but provides a strident bedrock for the peat and brine to coast along before the sweetness from the nose returns into the finish, changed to stone fruits and the earthy peat rendered to chocolate. I can understand why Benromach doesn’t tout sherry cask influences much like Highland Park doesn’t with their whiskies: because they don’t need to, and the impact it provides is neither one-note or dominating. It is part of the core distillery identity. I really enjoy the Benromach 10, but this is a great showcase of how some extra time in the barrel can add complexity and harmony without sacrificing character.
Kate – Like smelling spring in the morning. The flowers are starting to bud. The mineral smell after a good rain. That is what the Benromach 15 reminds me of.
Bill – Interesting and complex. There’s a creamy quality to it, like a cold glass of milk, it coats your throat on the right day.
Like smelling spring in the morning.
Henry – Peat and lovely Speyside floral notes on the nose. The peat manifests in light grassy and mineral tones, which complement the florals in an unexpectedly delightful way, like balsamic vinegar on grilled watermelon. The extra age makes for a beautifully integrated spirit, with the elements from the nose transitioning seamlessly onto the palate and gently dissipating into a lingering warmth and fruitiness on the finish.
Ben – The Benromach 15 isn’t dry or salivary, it’s got a mouthfeel right in the middle. It’s velvety.
