Beyond having a core range comprising a few age statement scotches, Benromach has also long played the game of experimentation. This has been seen recently in their Wood Finish series, which sees their spirit aged in different types of casks. The Benromach Château Cissac is finished in casks from Château Cissac in the French wine region of Haut-Médoc near Bordeaux for just a touch over two years. The dominant grape grown in this region is Cabernet Sauvignon.
Distillery: Benromach
Region: Speyside
Age: NAS
Strength: 45%
Price: $79.99
Location: Forres
Maturation: ex-Chateau Cissac
Barrel: Distilled 2009, bottled 2017
Nose: Smoke, orange zest, wood, almond, apricot, peach
Palate: Hazelnut, key lime
Finish: Smoke, white pepper
Comments:
Adam – The nose opens with that lovely Benromach wood and smoke, coupled with some zesty citrus. This is all good. Where I’m caught off guard is on the palate, which feels suddenly worlds away from what I was just smelling. There’s almost a sour lime element with some general nuttiness, like hazelnuts or almonds, before transitioning into some damp smoke and mild white pepper, but not even enough to be really called a zing. I’d like to see what the Château Cissac would taste like at cask strength, as the current one feels a little watered and muted. Left me wanting another, more vibrant entry in their line. Maybe not a good cold weather dram?
Jenny – I was getting almonds on the nose, with vanilla. It made me think of fall.
Meghan – I have lovely memories of tasting this whisky. Or, at least, what I am pretty sure was this whisky. However, it has not stood up to repeated tastings. The nose is still all peach and apricot with a nutty smoke. I even find a hint of menthol/mint that plays well with the fruit. I remember there being a delightful and unique key lime pie flavor on the palate: slightly sour citrus, toasted nuts, and a nice creaminess. But now there is a sourness but no creaminess and the balance is off. There is also a strange hot and sour taste in the finish that I do not remember (and it’s unpleasant enough that forgetting it would be hard). The smoke has been lost and replaced with a bile-ish bitterness that teams up with the white pepper to do nefarious things in the back of my throat. There is a decided woodiness throughout, but wood as in the slightly damp barrel from which it came. I remember being enthralled when I first tasted this Cissac cask and excited to have it as a club tasting. But as I return to it (and we close out the bottle), I am left with sadness and doubt of my own memory. I feel like Cinderella waking up the morning after the ball with a mind full of delight and grandeur to rediscover I’m back in sodden rags that reek of rotting pumpkin.
It’s very mild and subtle, almost timid.
Michael – This one is a little out of balance for me. It’s feeling overwhelming. There’s something about the spice that is really dominant for me. The spices are very prominent.
Mary-Fred – It’s nuttier some how. Autumn and its leaves and fall and nuts. It’s also a little bit of baked nuts, toasty.
Peter – It’s very enjoyable. It’s very mild and subtle, almost timid. A little shy, hiding behind the curtains. There’s an initial taste of almost water but then it arcs through all sorts of tingly flavors. Very gentle and sweet.
Ben – This seems like a long distance phone call to me. I want this to be bigger, all of what it is. It’s a time bomb.
Henry – There’s some wintergreen here. Or elmger’s glue. Just in the background, but present. It’s like a phantasmagorical cloud.
