Review by: dustbunna
Distillery: Benromach.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Speyside.
ABV: 60.6%. Cask strength.
Age: 9 years. Distilled in 2011. Bottled in 2021.
Cask type: First-fill sherry cask.
Price: $88 USD for 700mL.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 7 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: chocolate wafers, cinnamon, bog mud, roasted barley, vanilla cake with buttercream, overegged custard, water begins to bring out orange oil and red fruits, a hint of copper.
Palate: medium-full body ~ tons of earth, minerals, some sour fruit, black pepper, charcuterie meats, wood spice, more cinnamon and orange oil, water amps up the earth.
Finish: long ~ mint, camphor, more earth and pepper.
Conclusion: Of the two young Benromach single casks I’ve had that were bottled for Binny’s, I may have preferred the bourbon cask, but this sherry cask is still an excellent drop—and having tried both (and played with blending both) really helps me understand better the nature of Benromach’s core range, mostly made of various vattings of first-fill bourbon and sherry casks. Where the bourbon cask bottling brought elegance and finesse, sherried Benromach is all about extreme flavor—bold, boisterous, uncompromising. This whisky is dangerously drinkable, even at full 60%+ strength (though it might make your tongue tingle.) The earthiness is considerable, but balanced nicely by strong citrus/red fruits, vanilla-forward custards and cakes, black pepper and spices, with some savory meatiness underlying it all. Another killer Benromach, this one.
Final Score: 87.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 