Benromach Bourdeaux 12yo
Benromach Contrasts Series | 46% ABV
Age isn’t everything
As my buddy and I were wandering around the congested but wonderfully convivial Glasgow Whisky Festival last month, we found that 30 minutes in and we’d barely made it 15 meters inside the door.
Standing in the queue before coming in we’d discussed our “must visit” exhibitors, and finding a fair amount of overlap, agreed to quickly pass over those vendors slightly lower on our priorities list so as to maximise our tasting time at our favs. We just as quickly discovered how foolish that strategy was.
‘Discovered’ is the perfect term to describe our snail’s pace moving between tables, because each table did offer discoveries that reminded us why festivals like this are so terrific; the sheer sensory discovery of amber aqua vitae that you’ve never tasted before. If you haven’t already, check out Dougie’s whirlwind write-up of the festival.
As we happily creeped forward at a glacial pace – chatting, sniffing, sipping, repeat – we saw a small crowd gathering at an indie bottler table. Approaching the table, gently weaving between other folks and stretching our necks to peer over and around them, we looked at the row of bottles on the table. We then caught chatter of “…25 year old Bowmore…” We looked at each other with eyes wide, then both turned towards the semi-non-queue-cluster around the vendor pouring without hesitation to outstretched arms holding glasses. 25 year old Bowmore…I had a momentary daydream of Bowmores I’d never tried but only read about.
The oldest licensed Islay distillery whose core range I cannot connect with despite multiple attempts, but whose indie offerings are often a different beast. I’ve read accounts of the legendary Black Bowmores of the 1960s, claimed by some to be some of the best single malts ever produced, and some of living whisky encyclopaedia Serge Valentin’s highest scores. One of the oldest warehouses in Scotland, Vaults warehouse #1…legend Jim McEwan’s years there…
I snap back to reality as the vendor pours me and my mate a measure. I was of course not so foolish to believe that someone would be merrily sharing around to well-lubricated festival-goers Black Bowmore-level drams. But, our hopes were high for something that neither of us has had much chance to try. We lifted the glasses to our noses, and . . . a bit muted, shall we say. Watered-down diesel fuel and old wood. Old peat of course dissipates over time, but this was just flat. Flat and fusile.
In unison my friend and I took a sip. In unison our faces contort into a confused scrunch. Again, watered-down diesel fuel and old tired wood. And not much else. In unison again, we both mutter “what?” as we look down inside our glasses. Let’s just say that our anticipation and expectations were not met. We shrugged and shuffled on to the next table.
What does a 25 year old Bowmore well past its prime have to do with today’s 12 year old Benromach? Not much, admittedly, except to say that it reminded me that age isn’t everything. It’s something we all know – that age is no guarantee of quality – but for someone who is now four years into his whisky journey and has not had much opportunity to try old whiskies, that Bowmore drove home the point even more. I can’t afford 25 year old whiskies, plain and simple. I managed to buy a 25 year old Glenfarclas a couple of years ago before the price rocketed into orbits that I can’t reach. It’s nice, but at 43% and chill-filtered I know it’s not really representative of what is possible in whisky of that age.
I’ve tried a few other old malts at other festivals and the occasional dram at a distillery visit (my most recent being the Ardbeg 25 on a recent visit to Islay), and have luckily caught a glimpse of the layers and depths that are possible at that age. I’m not suggesting that all 25 year old Bowmores are inferior to all 12 year old Benromachs, or that all 25 year old whiskies are dull, nor am I simply rationalising what I know I can’t afford. But if I’m forced to choose a desert island dram between these two, I know which one I’m going with.
I also realise that my mental whisky library is somewhat incomplete without much experience so far of old drams, and it’s not something I can easily remedy shy of dropping £30 or more on a single dram of an old whisky at my local pub. But, my whisky journey proceeds happily as I don’t dwell on not being able to try aged malts that I know can be just as hit-and-miss as malts I can afford.
It was only a few days after the festival, and still thinking about that Bowmore, that I came across this new Benromach. Being one of my favourite distilleries, I wavered all of about 20 seconds before I found Google automatically entering my bank details online. The core range does 43% better than almost any other distillery (but yes, I do wish we could have the extra 3% more), and the various expressions of the Cask Strength are some of the best malts in my collection. Benromach has done well lately to engage the geeks amongst us.
The two recent Kiln-dried and Air-dried companion bottles offer enthusiasts to compare effects that don’t get discussed very often; the influence of the method of cask preparation on the taste of the malts matured in them. The recent Peat Smoke Sherry Cask Finish differs slightly from the Peat Smoke Sherry Cask Matured from a few years ago. And the Cara Gold offered a taste of this different barley strain on their malt. Adamh and Wally have reviewed some of these and the core range previously, and today’s Boudreaux Red Wine Cask follows their efforts.
There are some older pre-rebrand red wine Benromachs floating around on auction sites occasionally, but post-rebrand this is their first modern wine-influenced expression.
Review
Benromach Contrasts Series, Bordeaux Red Wine Cask Finish, Limited Edition, 6 years in first fill bourbon, 5 years in Bordeaux Casks, 46% ABV
£59 - Available in Benromach Webshop
The bottle says “red wine finish” but also “double-matured,” but given its 12 year age calling it a “double-maturation” is understandable; after an initial maturation in first-fill bourbon casks the spirit was further matured in Bordeaux wine casks for five years. 46% and non-chill filtered, although a bit disappointingly no statement about colour.
We’re not given any additional information about the wine casks, but if you’re a fan of wines from Bordeaux you’ll know that they are often Merlots, Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet Francs. They’re characterised by red fruits such as black currants and plums with an earthy quality, qualities which do come through in this Benromach. On we go…
Nose
Lightly smoky, dusty, muted floral notes, red apples covered with a dollop of axle grease.
Palate
Much more going on on the palate than the nice but somewhat muted nose. Juicy red grapes (unsurprisingly), light greasy peat, cinnamon spice, sharp red berries. Nice texture and mouthfeel for 46%, which is one of my favourite qualities of Benromach: it’s an oily distillate from its 43% incarnations up through the cask strength belters. Sweet, savoury, but also slightly sour. The red berry velvety quality marries well with the lightly peated spirit. The light smokiness also helps to balance out the savoury and sour aspects. Vanilla and honey in the background…the first maturation in bourbon casks hasn’t been overpowered by the wine casks. All in all some nice balance in the blending between the distinct Benromach distillate characteristics and both bourbon and wine casks.
The Dregs
I’m enjoying this. It’s a juicy red-fruit, slightly greasy, lightly smoky, nicely textured expression of Benromach that works as well as any other red wine finish I’ve tried. If you’re a Benromach fan, you’ll likely want to try this. As a permutation on the Benromach spirit we love, it’s a worthy addition to the Benromach shelf. At the same time, it’s not quite rocking my world, either.
Not like the Peat Smoke Sherry Cask does, but I’m a peat ‘n sherry freak, or the Cask Strength - which is an unfair comparison.
I’m between 6 and 7 on our scoring system, and I’m tempted by 7 but realise that my affection for the distillery might be shading my vision, so a very solid 6 it is. In today’s market, this is a fair-value buy: £59 for a 12 year old, 46%, unchillfiltered, expression from the best distillery in Speyside.
I’ll gladly add it to my Benromach shelf, and happily sip it alongside others in the Contrasts series to continue exploring one of my favourite distillates.
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. DD