Benromach Cask Strength - Vintage 2012 review

Whisky Review 

Benromach Cask Strength - Vintage 2012   

ABV: 59.6%

RRP: £60-70

"Plenty of sweetness, but evenly mixed and balanced by its savoury counterparts. It is indeed, a very good whisky. "

Benromach, home to one of the only whisky rebrands within recent years that I'm actually a fan of. Yes, I'm talking about you Talisker, Glenmorangie and GlenAllachie, all of which have rebranded to a worse label design, in my humble and unimportant opinion. I remember owning an old version of Benromach 10 yo many years ago and, being a fan of the liquid, I was keen to revisit this speyside malt, but this time at cask strength. Distilled in 2012, I think back to this being around the time I probably had the old presentation Benromach amongst my (much smaller) whisky collection. 

This 10 year old was matured in a combination of bourbon and first-fill sherry casks, before being bottled in 2022 at a fantastic 59.6%

Nose: It packs a powerful punch of an aroma. Green apples and apple cider vinegar. There are cranberries and raspberries, orange peel, along with some subtle sweet cereal notes. Almost like a fruity granola, but there is some spice, charred oak and a faint presence of peat.  I'm noticing each time I revisit the glass I'm getting something new. Almost like the fruit and cereal notes have been acknowledged and now allow the additional characteristics to come to the forefront. There is a touch of engine oil, but its making me think of changing an oily bike chain as a child, rather than the oil we place in our cars. Its strange how the mind works. Why am I revisiting a memory of no major significance within my life, and one which has lay dormant for 30 odd years, but tonight as I explore the aroma of this whisky, I'm revisiting memories of being a child on my old council estate. Anyway, time to dive in....

Taste: Slightly waxy and thick on the mouthfeel. Forest fruits with tobacco and leather, hinting at a great selection of active sherry casks. There is plenty of pepper and spice to send the tongue tingling. The fruity granola notes I had on the nose are also present on the palate. Its either nutty or oaky, I cant quite place which is the more dominant here, although I understand these two tasting notes are often confused. I'm getting orange peel on the palate too, showing that this whisky's character has great continuation from the nose through to the palate. It finishes with a lovely dry wave of ashy smoke, reminding me of a cask strength Caol-Ila type of ash smoke finish. 

Score: 

7/10

Benromach have knocked it out of the park with their cask selection on this one. You get a wonderful balance of liquid with influence from both the bourbon and sherry, without either dominating and overshadowing the core characteristic of the whisky. Plenty of sweetness, but evenly mixed and balanced by its savoury counterparts. It is indeed, a very good whisky. I am keen to explore more from Benromach on the back of this great bottling.  

*This whisky was self-purchased and the above review reflects my personal opinions only.