Benromach 10 Year Old 100 Proof

Since I did some Macallans yesterday, and a BenRiach earlier today, I thought I'd search out some more Speysiders and found a few Benromachs. I reviewed the standard 10 year old before (which I have a bit left of), but I have two higher strength ones (both also 10 years old) to examine. First is the Benromach 100 Proof, whose ABV goes by the definition of British proof (57%) rather than the US definition (50%). Thank you to Richard Culver for this sample.

The colour is a medium-dark gold. Very complex on the nose, with big caramel and vanilla with bright herbal peat woven throughout. Baked apples, cloves, cinnamon and dark chocolate. Buttery oak. Sultana raisins. Sweet cereal notes. Minty, but not overwhelmingly so. A drop of water makes it even more herbal and peaty. The interplay between peat, malt and wood is perfectly harmonious.

Those notes carry through on the palate, with the addition of chili spice, orange pith and blackberry. The thick mouthfeel carries that peppery peat smoke through with dark caramel. Surprisingly salty, but in a good way. Water brings every element up a notch - fascinating. Constantly developing in complexity, with each note layering over the other.

The finish is very oaky, with spice, bovril and creamy milk chocolate. I've had this dram before, and I think it could be the best Benromach I have ever had - the perfect combination of the sweet, fruity Speyside style with old-fashioned peat smoke. Add in the thick, creamy mouthfeel and you have a whisky that seems to harken back to bygone times. Almost three years ago, I gave the standard Benromach 10 an 84; tasting them now side-by-side, the difference is huge. The standard is very nice and approachable, with a nice kick in the spice and peat, but the 100 Proof just completely overtakes it. Amazing.

In February 2015 I read a “game-changing” review by @MaltActivist. I had tried the standard Benromach 10 a couple of years earlier (prior to the rebranding) and it was good, especially with milk chocolate. But the way he described this whisky it became a must have for me. Here are links to his review and video:

connosr.com/reviews/benromach/… maltactivist.com/benromach-10-100-proof/

Just over a year after I read the review, my brother told me he would be stopping in London for a few days with his family (2 adults….2280 ccs of spirit!) in March and would be willing to bring over anything that I might want to order that I couldn’t get here. I was shocked to find this available AND reasonably priced. Although it came into my possession in March it took all the willpower I could muster to wait another 2 months and open this bottle at the Ontario Summit. I found it quite enjoyable but it was in the context of 39 other spirits I tried that day. This is my first chance to get back to it. The bottle has been open 4 days, gassed after first use, and is reviewed in my usual manner, first neat, then with a few drops of water (and then more water) and a chance to open up.

---

Nose :

Neat – initially, as was my experience at the Ontario Summit, the nose appeared a bit muted. But left covered for 20 minutes it develops a beautiful complex, sweet nose. I get leather, white wine, dark fruits (prunes), granny smith apple. In the background a hint of chocolate, some tobacco (unlit). Beautiful nose! 24/25

With water- I get a hint of menthol. The fruitiness of the nose diminishes a little. Adding a bit more I get back some of the original nose. I like it better neat (22-23/25)

Taste:

Neat – Rich, bicuity, sherry, chocolate, a little spirit. Very pleasant. 23/25

With water – Becomes quite spirity, also spicy. Some of the flavours are hard to find. Adding a bit more water brings out a mintiness, and a bit of citrus.

Finish – long, dry. Leather, hint of cocoa 22/25. With water, the bitterness lasts into the finish with a citrus-pithy quality (20/25)

Balance – Neat this is a beautifully balanced whisky, complex, with complementary flavours and aromas 23/25. With water, I just didn’t enjoy it as much (20/25).

The longer I let it sit after the second addition of water, the more it came closer to its flavour profile neat but it never regained the full richness.

The Modified Ashok Manoeuvre (only after adding water) enriched the nose and lifted the sherry flavours back towards the forefront of the palate.

Trader Joe’s milk chocolate did not impact on the undiluted whisky, but did compliment it after water was added. I tried it with TJ’s 85% dark chocolate only after adding water and warming and it worked very well.

Score: Neat 92/100 With water: 85-86/100

---

@MaltActivist wrote that whiskies like this are the reason he does what he does. I concur with his opinion. This is Sherry cask-matured Scotch single malt as it should be tasted.

I’m glad most of the bottle survived the summit. I think I will need to experiment to find out how much water this expression can handle. I usually like to add at least a drop to my high proof malts. My suspicion is it will either need a little more than I'm used to(like Ralfy), or simply a single drop or two.

Or maybe I'll discover I like it best neat, which would be just fine as well.

This whisky is the reason I take time out from my busy schedule and inflict slow damage to my liver. Just to let my whisky colleagues know that there are treasures out there simply waiting to be discovered.

I'll be honest. Benromach was not on my radar as a must-try. I was going to get there eventually but I was in no rush. But then Ralfy decided it would be a good idea to declare their 10 year old as his whisky of the year. While I usually scoff at such titles Ralfy is a dependable chap.

So I decided this was a good time as any to put his claim to the test. So while I was in the process of procuring said title holder I saw this particular expression sitting by the 10 year olds' side. Labelled as 100 proof it came in at 57% compared to the measly 43% that the standard 10 year old was bottled at.

What I love is that Benromach has decided to re-create the classic Speyside flavors of the 60s which means that there is a small amount of peat used in the barley (12ppm in the final product to be exact).

The spirit is a blend of 80% bourbon and 20% sherry hogshead married together for it's final year in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks. My sample is from a brand new bottle dated 25.09.2014

Nose: Crisp sherry. No off notes here. Green tobacco leaf. Chocolate. Oak. Dates. Dark fruits. Cinnamon. Some fudge. Dark currant jam. Strawberries. Red apple. Vanilla. Let it breathe and it becomes a little more savory. Fresh green peas. Hint of ginger. Gets dry over time. This such a beautiful nose. It's not overly complex. All the aromas are on point and beautifully represented. This is close to being perfect.

Palate: The tobacco is king here. Smoked oak. Some sherry. Touch bitter. But a manly bitter. Nothing off here.Chocolate. Cinnamon. Maple syrup. Christmas cake. Rum topf. Caramel. The Oloroso really comes into play here. Leads the way but never overpowers. Let's the spirit speak.

Finish: Long. Tobacco. Touch of mint. Oak.

This is an insanely beautiful whisky. Hats off to Benromach (and G&M for reviving it) for embracing traditionalism in favor of mass production and NAS profits. Truly a masterclass in elegance and a glimpse into the glorious past that is Speyside whisky.