Benromach 12 Year Old

The Benromach 10 has gotten a lot of attention lately, but it seems we don’t have it here in Taiwan. Instead, we’ve got a 12 year old OB which doesn’t seem to exist in the rest of the world. I can’t find much information online about it. It might be one of those “just in Taiwan” cases. I contacted Benromach to learn more about this bottle’s production and distribution, but they never got back to me. So for now I'll stick with the assumption that this is a Taiwan exclusive.

Nose: Rather farmy and robust. Rich caramel, red apples, cereal, barley, wheat, gentle peat, sultanas, dates, hay, and earth.

Palate: Medium-bodied, with juicy raisins and dates on arrival. Rich caramel, big leather, chili powder, roasted corn-on-the-cob, sweet potato, indistinct sherry, cherry, and praline.

Finish: Medium-length. A strong leather note, caramel, orange rind, red apple, apple cider, musty oak, varnish, dates, barley, sweet potato, cherry, with paprika and chili powder giving it a spicy kick. Lingering mint and caramel.

Thoughts: On paper, it’s an all-rounder. Sherry, peat, and barley are all here. But the peripheral flavours and the farmy character make it a pretty unconventional dram. Very leathery and sweet. Closest in profile to, say, a Springbank, if I had to compare. But Benromach is very much its own thing. Very original and very “craft” tasting. An excellent and affordable dram from an often-overlooked distillery. Recommended.

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