Benromach Cask Strength
2012 Batch 01 | 60.2% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
The most “natural” bottling in Benromach’s core range
Malt and memories
I’m certain that my very devout Christian grandfather never had a drop of whisky in his life.
While I’ve never shared my grandfather’s path on the straight and narrow, and my brain had never associated my grandad with any sort of alcohol, I experienced an unexpected surprise when I stumbled upon a Benromach 10 year old on offer in a local shop a few years back. I took a punt on it, never having tried anything from the distillery before. The label (a pre-2020 rebrand) proclaimed it, “the classic Speyside whisky.” I was therefore expecting something along the lines of the other standard Speysiders I’d tried at that point, which was still early-ish in my whisky journey: Glenfiddich 12, Glenlivet 12, Glenfarclas 10, and so on. Experience suggested this self-named Speysider would fall on the lighter, fruity side: perfectly pleasant, easy drinking, but perhaps not too challenging.
Yet from the pop of the cork, I was faced with something unexpected. This was no run-of-the-mill Speysider. From the first pour and nosing, I was instantly transported back to my grandfather’s shop, decades ago: The grease and oil-stained oak workbench, years of accumulated wood and metalworking on the old oak beams, a scattered mix of oil stains and sawdust ground into the floor, and the old wood stove in the corner next to a stack of pine logs. Our sense of smell is intimately tied to our memories, and is a powerful memory trigger. Yet I was truly dumbstruck how this liquid immediately transported me back there. There was no vague sensation – the first raise of the glass to my nose and I was 10 years old again, standing with granddad “helping” him on his latest project, marvelling at the weird and wonderful world of tools, contraptions, creations, and junk piled high in that modest shop that he’d accumulated over a lifetime. Some of my early epiphany whiskies such as Clynelish 14 and Lagavulin 16 were all about sensory experience. This Benromach, however, was the first time this sensory experience took me somewhere else to a memory long forgotten.
This is all, of course, quite sentimental. And yes, I freely admit, cheesy. I can hear you say: “His granddad’s shop? Gimme a break. What’s the next review? Heather-clad hills and clear, cool streams?” Yet, I’ve heard and read enough anecdotes from fellow drinkers who have had similar experiences about how whisky triggers memories – and that’s given me confidence to write this. I’m also not too shameless to muster the support of Dave Broom on this point, who writes about how “whisky is a powerful memory trigger.” Broom’s interview with crime novelist Ian Rankin also allowed the author to recall how certain whiskies, like some songs, took him back to his teenage years and past travels abroad. While this occasion brought about pleasant memories for me, I wonder if fellow drinkers ever experience negative memories triggered by whisky. Does this put people off that particular whisky even if they otherwise like the flavour? Granted, such malty memory sparking probably doesn’t happen that often but, very occasionally, it does. And when it does it can be utterly striking, and gives us one more reason why we obsess about this wonderful nectar. I suspect that at least some of you can relate.
“Closed since 1983, another victim of the Great Crash of the early 1980s, it was a shell. Everything you now see inside - mash tun, wooden washbacks, the stills with their extemal condensers - is new. The question facing G&M was: do we start from scratch and make a new whisky, or try to replicate what went before? Interestingly, they have managed to do both.”
Benromach distillery sits in Forres, on the northern edge of Speyside, just a few miles from the North Sea and down the road from Elgin, where owners and independent bottlers Gordon & MacPhail have their famous shop. Gordon & MacPhail are planning to open their new Cairn distillery, located within the Cairngorms National Park, later this year. Although there’s little information available about the style of malt Cairn will produce, the owners have been clear they want it to “complement, not compete” with Benromach. The current Benromach core range consists of the 10, 15, and 21 year old, all 43% abv and all combinations of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks). Their recent limited releases – of which there seem to be an increasing number – are presented at more natural presentation at 46%, non-chill-filtered, and natural colour. These are mostly included in their Contrasts series, such as the Peat Smoke, Organic, and the recently released Cara Gold Malt, which Wally recently explored.
Review
Benromach Cask Strength, 2012 Batch 01, 60.2% ABV
£59 and generally available
A lot of people have cringed at Benromach’s new labelling. I get it, as this was also my first reaction. But, to my surprise, I’ve actually come around to it. The label has much more useful information than previously and the red against white background, along with gold and black used on different fonts, make it pop visually. The only thing I would change is the most prominent word. If the “Benromach” font was traded for something less Soviet Union-y it would help.
This cask strength official release is bottled at a very hefty 60.2% ABV, with natural colour and non-chill filtered, and clearly states a vintage and distillation date of 2012 and bottled in 2022, making this nine or 10 years old. It also states that this Batch 1 was a bottling of 30 casks. While the bottle isn’t explicit about the cask make-up other than to say it’s exclusively first-fill cask matured, a visit to the distillery’s website confirms a mix of first-fill bourbon and sherry casks.
Nose
Distinct and funky right away. Both the bourbon and sherry casks are apparent here: some hints of vanilla but also darker notes of spice and very gentle smoke. The workshop feel is still here, as in the 10 year old, in the smoke, sherry, and slight pine aromas.
Palate
Slightly more fruits on the palate, but richer stewed fruits, alongside more wood spice, gentle savoury smoke again. Pleasantly oily mouthfeel, but not quite as oily as I’d expected. After letting the whisky sit in the glass for 20 minutes, red berries came through more, which very nicely complemented the background smoke.
The Dregs
I’d wager that other than perhaps some single cask releases, this is the most naturally presented Benromach available in the core range. For the £60 price tag, this is a no-brainer if you are a fan of the distillery. If you’re a fan of savoury or “dirty” whiskies, then this is well worth a try. Perhaps the reason they ditched the “Classic Speyside” label was because Benromach isn’t a classic Speyside malt – at least in the way I and many others think about the region’s traditionally distinct profile. It’s not light, but heavy. Not sweet, but savoury. Not fruity, but rich. For me, Benromach sits wonderfully on the dark side of Speyside, alongside the likes of Craigellachie and Mortlach, and I’ll continue exploring enthusiastically as long as the quality remains this high. And, I’ll toast one to dear long gone grandad, and the weird and wonderful workshop.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DD
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