Batch 01 | 59.7% ABV

How much and from where?

A hot topic since the year dot. 

So much has been discussed recently with regards to the pricing of whisky. It’s something the entire Dramface team have alluded to on many occasions and it’s talked about heavily on our whisky social media. We’re told people complained about it back in ‘the good old days’ too, before the current boom. 

Nobody ever wants to overpay, and there’s been a general feeling that we’re being taken advantage of in this buoyant market. We’ll remember and reward the ones that have played a fair game and, for those who didn’t, perhaps leave them out in the cold.

I’ve always been a bit of a bargain hunter, be it whisky or any other service or commodity; I want to get the best price rather than accepting what is in front of me as the only option. If you’re a new distillery releasing a whisky at a price I don’t find reasonable, I won’t touch it. The same thing goes if you’re established and feel your special release deserves to be two or three times the price of your standard offering. You can keep it.

We’ve witnessed signs throughout the second half of 2023, and the start of 2024, that things may not be as rosy as they were, with some very generous looking discounts and whisky sales. For months my inbox has been inundated with emails from retailers, both the large operations and the smaller independents, offering discounts on bottles. It gives the impression that it’s hitting home that there’s simply too much whisky out there and not enough people to buy it all. 

Whisky folk are fed up with overpaying, and they’re buying much less than they used to. Sitting with cupboards full, they have enough whisky to keep them going for some time. In some cases, people are turning their backs on whisky altogether. As a result, stock sits stagnant where previously it wouldn’t have had a chance to gather even spec of dust. If that is the case, then going forward, both distilleries and retailers are going to need to compete for our business harder than they have had to for some time. As I write, I hear news that the UK fell into another recession at the end of 2023. I wasn’t aware we’d come out of the last one.

A recent release that has gone against the current pricing trajectory is Signatory Vintage’s quartet of bottles at 100 proof (57.1%) for £45. A 9 year old Blair Athol, 8 year old Tullibardine, 13 year old Ardmore and a 4 year old heavily peated Ben Nevis. They’re all sherry cask matured too, which we are regularly expected to pay a premium for. I jumped on the Ardmore, partly because of the age statement, which I know is no guarantee of quality, but it’s a hard habit to kick. I’m also a big Ardmore fan and it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. It’s a tasty drop too.

Signatory have vast stocks and are perhaps better placed to do this kind of thing than other independents, but is this a one off? Or potentially the beginning of a more general realisation that prices need to come down across the industry?

As reluctant as businesses will be to drop prices, seeing your whisky constantly on sale because nobody is buying it is not a good look. I am perhaps being a touch optimistic, but a hugely competitive market that is losing some of its buoyancy has to adjust at some point. You can’t keep having a fire sale every time stock needs to be shifted. In many cases, the prices are clearly wrong.

If we continue to pay prices set too high, we become part of the problem rather than the solution. Letting the whisky sit on the shelf until the price is right sends out a message. I have a huge soft spot for Glencadam; it’s my whisky happy place. When I saw the new 18 year old priced at £145, I was gutted. There was no way I was going to pay it, and it seems that is a position many others have taken, resulting in a few months after it hitting the shelves, it is already on sale in multiple stores. I have seen it as low as £105, but so far I have held my nerve. If it drops below £100 I may crack, but at least I’m demonstrating with my wallet where I think it should be priced. We have seen a similar pricing policy from Bruichladdich for their new 18 year old, and perhaps their huge following, and prestige of being an Islay malt will see it sell but, at £150, it won’t be one I put on the shelf.

What I would recommend to make our money go as far as possible is patience. There will be bottles released at reasonable prices that you really want and are happy to pay retail for, which is all fine and good. However, if you have some money in your pocket, but aren’t sure what to buy, then wait. The right bottle will always crop up at the right price for you to leap on. I often struggle with this patient approach, especially when I have a little whisky budget burning a hole in my pocket, but I’m getting better.

As a group of whisky botherers, we seem to hold whisky retail in higher regard than other retail settings. I realise I am broad-brushing here, but most of us will go to the supermarket to buy our groceries rather than going from pillar to post to visit the local butcher, baker and greengrocer. We take advantage of Clubcard offers and three-for-two discounts from these multiples who can buy in bulk and sell cheap. There’s a lovely little independent cafe nearby which I enjoy going to with my wife and daughter, but sometimes I still pop into McDonald’s for a burger, Gregg’s for a Steak Bake, or Costa for an obscenely large vessel of coffee. None of these seem to draw as much of a backlash as I regularly see on social media when people choose to shop for whisky at one of the larger specialist retailers, which can sometimes be accompanied by a dollop of smug superiority.

Supporting the smaller independent retailers is good thing, particularly if you live close to one and are able to pop in and take advantage of their excellent knowledge, and sometimes the opportunity to try before you buy. That interaction is worth the extra money you might have to pay, compared to an online giant with no high street store, and a direct-to-consumer, large volume from warehouses model. I live in an area where that isn’t the case for me, so I am forced to use online retail.

I still do like using the smaller retailers if the pricing is competitive and within a couple of pounds of the larger enterprises: Aberdeen Whisky Shop, Luvians, The Good Spirits Co and Tyndrum are just a handful of the excellent bricks and mortar shops that I do buy from online. I’m not getting that personal experience, but it feels like the right thing to do supporting the smaller businesses that help so many others with their passion for whisky.

Having said that, I do my own research, use my own knowledge and lean on the experience of the whisky community to buy bottles, and I’m fine with admitting that price will win me over at the end of the day.

This bottle was picked up in the recent Master Of Malt 20% off sale. Benromach’s Cask Strength now retails at an RRP of £70, which is a £10 increase from a couple of years ago, but you can always find it cheaper if you shop around. I got this for £52, which no other retailers would likely be able to match. If I am consigned to the gates of hell, then so be it.

If you fancy joining me, my WhatsApp pinged to tell me it’s now on offer for £40.49. Be right back…

Review

Benromach Cask Strength, 2013, Batch 01, 59.7% ABV
£70 RRP but often cheaper and widely available

If I had a pound for every time I have heard somebody call Benromach “The Springbank of Speyside” I would probably have enough money to buy a bottle of their 21 year old. I’d have even more money if we were counting the amount of times people lament the fact their age stated core range is bottled at 43% and, possibly, chill filtered. Granted it’s disappointing, but they have us covered with the cask strength and their contrasts range. Maybe one day the rest will follow. I genuinely think the reputation of the distillery would skyrocket if they did.

As far as the Springbank of Speyside comments go, I understand the sentiment. It is, generally speaking, lightly peated and a little dirty and farmy. It stands out as something very different to the rest of Speyside, with Benromach’s modus operandi being the production of a more traditional style of whisky that has been left behind by many in the region in favour of an unpeated, light and fruity profile. The similarities with Springbank are there, but they are very different whiskies.

Benromach’s cask strength always carries a vintage and bottling date, but recently they have decided to add an age statement, which I am told by another member of Team Dramface, who had enquired with Benromach, that it’s due to requirements in certain markets. That isn’t something I have heard of before, and I am not aware of any countries that require a vintage product to also carry an age statement.

Unfortunately, in order to accommodate the age statement, they have removed the natural colour from the label. It is still on the outer carton, but we need them to find space on the label. Having an age statement is nice, but when you have a distillation and bottling date, it can only be one of two ages. The same labelling approach seems to have been taken with their contrasts series too.

I like that they mention how many casks were used in each batch, but I would love to know what those casks were and the proportions used. I know I’m picky, but as a regular batch released product, it would be great for fans to have that information when comparing one release to the next. Maybe they could utilise the back of the bottle better and include a QR code that links to a web page?

Nose

Delightfully fragrant and perfumed oak. Not all wood polish notes are equal, and this one is particularly fine, and is accompanied by freshly brewed espresso coffee and a charred meatiness. There’s a musty, earthy dunnage note, with dry autumnal leaves and black forest gateaux. Garden rubbish fire smoke, tired leather, tyre rubber after a burnout, coal tar, hay barn, and high cocoa dark chocolate. These cask strength Benromach’s just keep giving note after note. I could probably go on, but I think that’ll cover it.

Palate

Don’t be too heavy handed with the water, as it doesn’t take more than a few drops before getting a little bit wishy washy and flat. Thankfully, it doesn’t need more than the tip of a teaspoon to open things up nicely. The alcohol makes itself known at full strength, but is by no means overpowering or harsh. First off I'm getting quite dark flavours of molasses, leather, cracked black peppercorns and sooty smoke. As it builds that smoke intensifies and the peppery spice remains, with black cherry, raisins and caramel. It’s a very bittersweet dram, with those two sensations complimenting each other nicely. I also get some liquorice and creamy vanilla towards the end, with sooty smoke present throughout, and going on for some time in the finish, with brown leafy notes and copper coins.

The Dregs

These cask strength Benromach’s are truly excellent. They command your full attention, and possibly aren’t the type of dram to pour if you want to sit back and not think about it too much.

The last bottle I had was the 2010 vintage Batch 1, and having kept back a couple of samples of that for future tasting, this seemed like a good opportunity to do a side by side. I thought that was an outstanding batch, and if this one can get near to it I will be very happy indeed. The colour is pretty much identical, suggesting that the composition of casks is similar.

Despite that colour match, they are incredibly different. There are similarities with the autumn leaves and damp earth I get from nearly everything Benromach, as well as that sooty smoke and copper coins. However, the 2010 is a lot lighter, fruitier and creamier on the nose, with lots of apple and a more distinct farminess. A similar story on the palate too, lighter caramels rather than dark molasses, with lots of bright red fruits and creamier vanilla. The 2013 feels much richer, darker, with more powerful smoke. There is fruitiness there, but it’s a side note amongst all the dark woods, coffee, leather, chocolate and coal tar.

The 2010 is my narrow winner, but they are so different, and I think other people may have a different preference to me. Batch released whisky is at its best when you’re able to do these types of comparisons and feel genuinely surprised.

Despite the previous batch edging it, this is still a special whisky that you shouldn’t think twice about exploring, regardless of where you’ve been able to buy it.

Score: 8/10

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Other opinions on this:

Whiskybase

Whisky in the 6 (video - old vs 2012)

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