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88
Benromach 24 year old, 58.6%, $160
This whisky combines the finer qualities of both the 18 year old and the 25 year old. It expresses the balance and purity of the 18 year old, while showing maturity found in the 25 year old. The lack of chill-filtering enhances the whisky’s vibrancy and, like all the Benromachs, it’s mouth-coatingly thick and malty.
(1st Quarter 2006 Issue-Vol. 15#1)
85
Benromach Port Wood Finish 22 year old, 45%, $150
This one stands out from the other three because of its port wood finishing. Dark amber/ruby color. You’ll discover lush fruit and a rich nuttiness on top of the typical flavors expressed in the 18 year old. Additional layers of intense spice and oak notes balance the whisky’s sweetness and fruit. The heartiest of the bunch.
(1st Quarter 2006 Issue-Vol. 15#1)
84
Benromach 25 year old, 43%, $125
The oldest of the group, and it shows. When compared to younger expressions, there’s less peaches and more citrus (lemon, tangerine). It is thicker on the palate-with notes of fat barley and crème brulee-before dry, resinous oak notes intensify. Dry, spicy finish. Not as even-keeled as younger expressions, but quite dynamic.
(1st Quarter 2006 Issue-Vol. 15#1)
81
Benromach Traditional, 40%, $35
Gordon & MacPhail purchased the Benromach distillery from United Distillers and reopened the distillery in 1998. They installed new stills and are using malt with a recognizable level of peating. This is first official bottling from the whisky that they themselves have made. The whisky is still youthful, but for a whisky of such youth it shows great balance, individuality, and promise. Notes of vanilla cream, honey, and fruit (pineapple, pear) are peppered with nuances of smoke, herbs, and pine. Youthful, vibrant finish. I eagerly look forward to tasting this whisky with a half dozen more years of aging.
(3rd Quarter 2005 Issue-Vol. 14#3)
81
Benromach 18year old, 40%, $80
Nicely balanced, and easy to drink. Pit fruits (peaches, apricots) and lemon are the dominant notes, with underlying vanilla cream, butterscotch, and a hint of honey. Gently dry, delicately spicy finish. The most rounded of the four.
(1st Quarter 2006 Issue-Vol. 15#1)
77
Benromach Tokaji Finish, 45%, $50
A very peculiar whisky. It’s interesting in some respects, with the thick, sweet Hungarian dessert wine fighting with damp peat smoke for attention. But it tastes a little disjointed, and a bit too youthful. With a few more years aging (before finishing in the Tokaji wine), the flavors should integrate and mature better. But as it is, this whisky is still “work in progress.”
(1st Quarter 2007 Issue-Vol. 16#1)
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