Single Cask | 58.4% ABV

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*Distinguished Laser-focussed Benromach*

Canadian goes to Scotland, drinks whisky, connects with the source

Arriving in Glasgow at 8am on the red-eye flight from Toronto, we picked up the rental cars. The first stop after no sleep is Deanston for a tour at 10am - or 5am to our tired selves. Maybe I can convince my brain that it’s just a late night out and I simply haven’t gone to bed yet.

Making the drive directly from the airport, the Scottish weather was living up to expectations for July with misty rain and temperatures in the mid-teens - a big change from summertime at home. I’m glad I’m not driving because I feel a bit lightheaded and would have had trouble remembering to stick to the left.

But all my best friends are with me and everyone is excited so the energy carries us through. We arrive at Deanston after a short drive and without many words all make a beeline to the cafe for a quick shot of espresso before meeting our tour guide Brian. Brian’s eyes are darting around a bit as he patiently tries to herd our delirious group together for the tour to start on time, but attention spans are short and there’s a lot of dispersing for bio breaks, looking around the gift shop, and maybe another quick espresso.

We all settle down once the tour starts. The charming riverside Deanston is a delightfully messy distillery. Pipes weave all over the place between rooms which seem to have no obviously planned layout. The giant cast iron mash tun is located in its own room, with the wort pumped into the room that has the washbacks. There are air compressor units placed in random locations throughout the distillery that cycle on and off at will with startlingly loud noise, causing our group a jump scare just before we enter the still room. It’s all a bit Willy Wonka, with Brian’s dishevelled magnetism adding to the ambiance.

There’s black mould everywhere on all the buildings. Brian says it was cleaned once, but it came back so they stopped cleaning it. Brian also informs us the feints receiver has never been cleaned and contains a mystery sludge that defies science. This black sludge is what gives Deanston its waxy character, so best not to disturb.

Everything from the wash stills along with heads and tails from the spirit stills go into the one tank and the resultant ABV fluctuations between different runs produces the sludge along with some unique characteristics. I’ve encountered sludge talk as well when researching that other distillery famous for waxiness… coincidence?

Although the drams at the end of the tour are welcome after a long journey, my taste is a bit off - probably attributable to plane palate. We try some cask strength malts, the distillery exclusive virgin oak, oloroso, and port pipe versions of Deanston but I’m sad to report they mostly tasted like fire to my tired palate. In the gift shop after I picked up a Deanston 18yo and a 200ml 19yo Amontillado single cask that was hand-filled by Brian himself.

After Deanston it’s up to our accommodations in Speyside and it turns out you can rent castles in Scotland, so we did, courtesy of the National Trust for Scotland. It was either that or a super-modern glass and concrete villa overlooking Loch Ness but the villa didn’t have any of those arrow shooting slits or plush seating rooms perfect for gathering around for a few drams. It probably wouldn’t have had that old castle smell either. All very important things to consider when planning a once in a lifetime trip with great friends.

The next day our cups were a bit fuller with a few hours of sleep and some good times in a castle. It was our big distillery day in Speyside. Glenfarclas and Glenallachie; but first we start our day at the distillery where the subject of this review was produced, just a few miles down the road.

Review

Benromach, First Fill Bourbon Barrel Distillery Exclusive, Cask No. 444, 1 of 208 bottles, Distilled 25/06/2007, Bottled 31/08/2022, Natural Colour, Non Chill-Filtered, 58.4% ABV
£120 paid.

After Deanston, I cannot imagine a more opposite single malt distillery than Benromach. Located in a little pocket of Forres just off the A96, the most prominent features of the distillery as you drive up are a parking lot and the big red stack.

It’s a slick operation. A fresh coat of white paint covers everything - I presume to cover the mould. There’s wet paint signs on the still house door, and one gets the feeling fresh paint is more of a permanent feature around here than not. Everything in the distillery is clean, compact, laid out logically, and the process flow is easy to follow. This washback here empties into this still there, this still goes into that still, and the stuff that comes out of that one gets filled into those barrels over there. It makes single malt production seem like a process anybody could follow.

Our Benromach tour guide is also named Brian but is a decidedly different kind of man from Deanston Brian. Benromach Brian let us sample the new-make spirit in the still room which was a highlight of the tour for me. I was dazzled with this little streamlined distillery and how they make everything seem so clean and simple, as if there was no other possibility than to create a gorgeous high quality liquid at the end of it all. It left a lasting impression on me.

We taste the 10 and 15 year old expressions. This time the spirit is able to activate my taste receptors appropriately. The 10 is the winner for me and for my friend Chris - don’t let the ABV put you off, it’s an effortlessly pleasing dram and great all-rounder, bringing something to the table for everyone. The 15 by contrast is more intense and challenging.

As we were enjoying our pours, Benromach Brian came out from the back room and handed me a dram of “something special”. It was subdued on the nose, especially compared to the easy pleasing aromas of the core range malts. Intriguing. When I sipped it my taste buds were sent on a journey, ripping through space-time. Price be damned, I had to have a bottle to bring back to the controlled environment of my living room in Canada. This is it.

Nose

Subdued and quiet initially, gentle fruits, orange, popcorn, leather, and something sweet. Pine-Sol cleaner and cream. With water the nose becomes more floral and the peat fades while still seasoning the overall experience. With more water tropical fruits emerge - bananas and mango.

Palate

A bit of a pucker fresh from the bottle, with slight Play-Doh, it needs a bit of time to stabilise in the glass. Coffee, marshmallow, custard, caramel, lemon curd. With water coconut is released. Toasted coconut crème. With more time in the glass guava, passionfruit, and mango.

The Dregs

A bourbon cask is where the Benromach spirit is able to shine through. Compared against a 2010 cask strength expression which includes the typical mix of bourbon and sherry cask, the 2010 is a bit muddied by the sherry cask whereas this single cask is focussed. It's candle light vs laser beam. I’m able to draw a direct line in my brain from the new-make I tasted in the still room to this 15 year old single cask. It’s undoubtedly the same spirit from the same place. I keep admiring the magnificent colour of the liquid, a glowing golden yellow. Like the last days of summer when you notice the sun is now shining on the earth at a greater angle.

When you have a large group of thirsty travellers and effectively unlimited bottles of whisky to drink, you don’t have to ask which ones are the favourites, they simply disappear right before your eyes. Especially in a setting like this, velocity of depletion is the most pure way to judge whisky.

Among the quickly disappearing bottles at the castle were the Deanston 18yo, Benromach Contrasts: Peat Smoke, and Thompson Bros. SRV5, but the award for most rapid depletion goes to a 13 year old oloroso cask distillery exclusive from GlenAllachie. I’ve never connected with a GlenAllachie like that before - it was magic. But in contrast, as a totally different style, the bourbon cask peat smoke Benromach shone through as an easy peated sipper. Everyone agreed it was good on initial sip, even in the company of more expensive drams.

Depletion velocity is high with this one as well, as it’s both delicious and has qualities I can’t quite put MY finger on, which often leads to another pour. I’ve previously mentioned about a few of my landmark single malt moments. Drams that have changed me and changed the way I think about the single malts I enjoy. From early days with Glenmorangie and Talisker, to discovering my personal hero whisky, AnCnoc 18 year old.

This Benromach is another transformative experience, for the first time I feel connected to a distillery; from the location, to the new-make, the warehouse, and the finished product in my glass.

Score: 8/10

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AMc

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