Benromach (G&M) | Single Cask for whiskysite.nl | 2008 – 2017 | 59,5 % | No Color added, non chill-filtered | First Fill Bourbon Cask Nr 347 | One of 231 |
Situation: February 2019; in the office listening to the new(wish) Pascow album Jade (higly recommended!)
Nose: Vanilla, honey, but also crispy, hay or grassy notes, some light smoke and sweet peat, slightly bitter wood. Nice!
Taste: Creamy and vanilla dominated entry, then the proof kicks in and help to push the spirit notes more to the front like sugared tropical fruits as well as oranges, honey, some oak, tobacco leaves, some ashy smoke but not much, brown sugar and a light herbal touch. It also has a bitter or rather tart aspect which is a nice counterpoint to the sweetness.
Finish: Long, intense, good, quite sharp actually, vanilla, burned wood, tobacco, tart or crispy citrusy notes as well but with a creamy mouthfeel.
Conclusion: At first I was skeptical when I saw that it was a first fill bourbon again but this is really nice. The higher proof helps the spirit to shine through the powerful first fill vanilla notes but the honey/vanilla notes are still very present. It is very drinkable at its 59.5%. I think this is the best of the four Benromachs I had. The standard 10 year old comes in second but this is more intense and I enjoy the combination of sweet and tart notes in front of a slightly smokey background. It is also quite reasonably priced with about 65€ the last time I saw it, which is a pretty nice price for what you get!
Score: ★★★☆☆ (click to see what that means)
Other whiskies I reviewed from the distillery: Benromach
Other whiskies with the same score: ★★★☆☆
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