Benromach First Fill Sherry
UK Exclusive Single Cask #253 | 59.9% ABV
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
Benromach is peerless in Speyside, but this one’s a little too dry
Click and collect
I have a list of favourite retailers to buy from. This, perhaps oddly, isn’t solely based on price. It’s also based on the experience. I like the chocolates that come with deliveries from Tyndrum Whisky, I like the maniacal sustainability demonstrated by the ever-ethical Royal Mile Whiskies, I also like the idea of buying from smaller local retailers, especially when they price fairly and act kindly.
Small independents such as Aberdeen Whisky Shop, Dunkeld Whisky Box, Kinnaird Head and many more are all excellent sources that ship widely (Brexit and pesky borders permitting…’course).
I also have to give a shout out to Master of Malt who have never skipped a beat with an order, and their ‘prime’ premium delivery membership deal is genius. But the best thing to do when I’m in the mood to throw some paper at liquid is, by far, to cruise into my local retailer; Glasgow’s Good Spirits Co. as their Bath Street branch suits my movements best.
This wee rectangular parcel of Victorian Glasgow’s grid-street layout once housed sagging racks of vinyl from the much-loved and missed 23rd Precinct record store, and while the inside is barely recognisable as such today, their countertop is still home to a turntable deck as a nod to the basement’s previous incumbent. Once a basement Aladdin’s cave of records, today it’s all about whisky discoveries and other boozy delights.
It’s also inside these walls that I started to really cut my teeth in understanding whisky. It was here I first faced the realisation that my knowledge of the spirit, which I stupidly and naively felt was pretty robust at the time, was seriously thin when it came to truths, reasons and experiences. The things I learned through their hosted tastings in the early days can’t be easily overstated. I still learn when I visit there today. They‘ve built a community around their shop and I love that it exists.
Should you ever visit there, or any specialist retailer, please indulge me a little and try something (and forgive me if you already do this - I just have to point it out). As you pass the threshold, try to suppress the frisson of excitement at what treasure might lie beyond and be mindful enough to take note of the smell. It’s unique. It’s wood and boxes and bodies and booze. It’s heady and magnificent, welcoming and friendly. A whisky shop.
The Good Spirits Co. in particular is a unique and brilliant concoction and I’d recognise it anywhere. I also think I associate it with all the cracking bottles they’ve matched me up with over the years; truly some real belters as we sometimes say. Perhaps I also associate it with the thrill of spending money on things I like.
It’s a smell the staff must dial out. I once made the mistake of pointing it out without making it obvious it was a positive thing to love; cue puzzled expressions and concern. I think I may have stoked a little paranoia. Perhaps ‘aroma’ is a better word than ‘smell” when drawing attention to something like that. Anyway, it’s a great wee shop and I owe it a lot. But there’s a problem.
I simply can’t go in and get out again without buying more than I intended. The conversation inevitably heads toward “Have you tried…?” or “Oh, there’s a new…” and I’m sunk.
That said, I rarely regret it. Their recommendations are all spot on and they know their customers and what they’re after, but it does require a cannier fiscal discipline than Wally can typically muster on most days.
Recently though, I hatched a cunning plan to subdue the giddy, bottle-grabbing madness monster. I hopped on to their website and jabbed in the exact names of bottles I knew I needed so I could complete a click-and-collect order. In and out, bottles already paid for. Wow. Inspired. Collection day would feel like free whisky.
And it did. Kind of.
It’s a difficult challenge for a website; to encourage a similar type of browsing to that you might indulge in when inside a bricks-and-mortar establishment. With its limited, two-dimensional real estate, the digital form finds it difficult to expose the depth of what’s behind, to inspire curiosity and a closer look.
We know this from our challenges here at Dramface. We have a lot of reviews and features now, 650 at the point of writing, and it’s hard to demonstrate the sheer scale through anyone’s limited screen space. We’ve spent a lot of time, money and effort on our search, but still, it’s difficult to convey what’s actually, physically there. I digress.
All this to say that I was able to drop into the GSC website and place a bottle of Ardnamurchan Sherry Cask alongside a bottle of Ramsay’s recent Reserva PX Glencadam in my basket and checkout without the scars of over-purchasing again.
Whisky buying sussed. Fathomed. Cracked. Completed it mate.
I whistled as I hopped down the wee flight of stairs to their cosy basement ready to inhale the wondrous aroma of oak and ethanol, knowing I could leave light and carefree with two nice bottles already paid for. I didn’t even need to get my wallet out of my pocket. Wait… wallet? The same wallet I wasn’t supposed to need? The one I should’ve kept locked in the car? Critical error. Level failed.
I left with seven bottles.
Review
Benromach Single Cask UK Exclusive 2023, 20/05/2013 - 22/05/2023, 10 year old, Cask #253, First-fill sherry hogshead, 311 bottles, 59.9% ABV
£85 still available.
This was one of the bottles I left with, and the most expensive on the day at £85. I already had two Benromach releases snagged and waiting on the countertop when I asked about this one. “You’ll swear it’s Springbank,” was the answer. And in that moment my resolve vanished.
We should keep in mind, as already shared, I had two big, rich sherry bombs pocketed and paid for. In the height of summer - did I really need another? Well, no. I ‘needed’ it just about the same as I ‘needed’ the other two. Actually, the other four by that point. Then I spotted they’d restocked Indri Trini in and they still had a Glenglassaugh Portsoy hanging about, so I snagged those too (why haven’t we reviewed that Trini?).
So there you have it. I’m weak. And I love it. Usually.
After first thinking I’d keep this until the cooler months, I had a pal stop by and knowing he’s something of a Benromach maniac, I couldn’t help myself. Springbank you say? Let’s see…
We cracked it and enjoyed contemplative silence at the neck pours. I was glad to be enjoying it even after a somewhat spicy home-cooked curry. It cut through well and, although the subtleties were perhaps lost at first, we certainly tasted it. And I see where the Springbank comparison comes in. It’s in that neighbourhood. Or at least a neighbouring neighbourhood.
I think the nose draws you towards Campbeltown. Benromach is good at this. There’s a feistiness to their spirit and it’s present in everything. In my experience it’s rarely spotted as a Speyside whisky. If it’s not unique, it’s edgy and oblique.
Despite the 59.9% ABV I’m not reaching for the hose, I’m happy to let it play unsupervised and neat for a while. I’ve promised myself I’ll not use this as another opportunity to ask that their core range 10yo, 15yo and 21yo are bumped to 46% and rendered a little more naturally presented, with less taken out, so I won’t. Except I already just did.
But honestly, there are so many new and playful releases coming from Benromach right now that we’re able to roll up our sleeves and dig in. Their Contrasts series is doing a great job of fully natural expressions and while they may appear non-age stated, they are indeed fully transparent with vintages front and centre.
And recently, as if to test our appetite for whisky-making geekery, they have just released two identical spirits side-by-side, the only differentiator being the way the oak was dried before maturation. That is - to me - cool. I’m in.
I really hope these releases are successful because I’m convinced more Benromach with nothing removed would always be better for everyone who cares about their continued renaissance.
Did it again.
Let’s instead allow ourselves to be distracted, because the insanely pretty ruby-red natural colour of this liquid has me naively trying my best to channel my inner Dougie and capture it. So, fat-fingered, tongue-out camera work over, let’s explore and share if the sipping matches the gawking.
Score: 6/10
Good stuff.
TL;DR
Benromach is peerless in Speyside, but this one’s a little too dry
Nose
Chilli chocolate, polished mahogany panelling, cayenne pepper, chocolate covered cherries, cola, beef stock, dark muscovado sugar, black tea, zesty grapefruit, creosote.
Palate
More bitter than expected, dryer, sharper and the mouthfeel is also a little thinner than I’d hoped for after the way it was clinging to the glass. It’s certainly bold; waves of challenging Benromach character, but wrapped in a tannic shell.
Chilli chocolate still, espresso and mocha, the fruits are quite bitter; cranberries and ruby red grapefruit; the juice and the pith. Slightly sharp and dry, some iron filings and a cut lip. Tonic water. A dry sourness prevails; a tannic sear that’s more than a little off-putting.
With a teaspoon of water things settle somewhat, everything is still there but it’s certainly tamed, sweetened even. Still, there’s a bloodiness and an iron edge, and I may be led by that rich crimson colour, but I can taste it. I think you could too.
There's a long finish here, but it’s all about dry cranberry and tonic water. After a while there’s a wisp of green; very typical for me with sherry casks and I like to search for it. For this one I’ll go with tarragon.
The Dregs
I can see the comparison to Springbank, there’s an edge here; something different and interesting. It will excite many but it’s leaving me in the realisation I have bagged a mood dram. This is one of those that’ll awaken your palate rather than sate or appease it. I can tell this one will be divisive.
Despite that bold and curious Benrmoach spirit being quite clearly present I think, for this drinker, we have something that’s more than a nudge too cask-led. I get it, it’s a single cask and the dry bitterness will be a thrill to some. Unfortunately, not me. The cranberry juice thing is pervasive.
As a double check, just to see if I’m suffering from anything these last few days or perhaps have a wee virus brewing, I reached for a small pour of Ardnamurchan’s Sherry Cask.
Check. It’s all fine; great, juicy, sweet and salty, all in order, but I’ll leave the vatted Western Highlander for our resident Ardna-botherer Doogie to review. The contrast is reassuring me that the Benromach is one for those that like things dialled up a notch over a comforting balance.
All in all, despite what I’ve said, you may be surprised to read that I’m glad this one is on the shelf. There are those who I enjoy sipping with that love to roll themselves in this style of whisky and who knows, maybe one day that’ll be me. Check the comments, I’ll come back and let you know if I’ve changed my mind or if the whisky has developed beyond the first third of the bottle.
In the meantime this should probably lose a point for its £85 price tag - it is a 10 year old after all. Still, it’s a compelling pour and unlike anything else on the ever-more creaking Wally shelves.
So, anything learned for the next visit to the beguiling Bath Street basement?
I know myself. I love whisky too much, and the next one could be a belter.
Score: 6/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. WMc
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