Benromach Classic Speyside 15 Years Old Whisky, 70 cl

Product Information

The judging of the most popular six was opened up to the world via the Whisky of the Year blind tasting set and online voting, in addition to a blind-tasting event in London on 18 November. With just over 300 votes cast, it was a tightly-fought battle. Benromach’s entry-level 10 year-old bottling is aged in a combination of 80% ex-bourbon and 20% ex-sherry casks (all first-fill), and then married for 1 additional year in first-fill European oak oloroso sherry casks. The 15 year, however, continues that final aging for an additional 5 years (for a total of 6 years) in oloroso. This extra aging gives the whisky a mahogany color and a deep, resinous sherry character. The sherry barrels are sourced from Bodegas Williams & Humbert in Jerez. Bourbon barrels come from Heaven Hill and Jim Beam. For the 10-year and 15-year, Benromach uses malt peated to a delicate 12 – 14 ppm using Highland peat. This is to emulate the style of “traditional” Speyside whiskies, which were routinely malted using peat fires before the advent of new heating technologies (and new tastes in lighter-style whiskies for blending). The final whisky is bottled at 43% ABV with no added color. Kate – Like smelling spring in the morning. The flowers are starting to bud. The mineral smell after a good rain. That is what the Benromach 15 reminds me of. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. The Benromach 10 is dangerously quaffable. A dram offers much to explore if you take the time to delve into it. At 10 years of age and 43% ABV, this has more depth than some single casks at 20 years old or other, more renowned, standard bottlings of the same age. Weighing in the price, the score should amount to an 8/10.

Viscous mouthfeel making for a rich and full arival. Treacle and caramel and quite a bit of salinity. Chocolate and toffee apples, slightly nutty with wood and spice notes. Again there’s a dirty touch to it, but rather than turning sulphury, it all remains exactly where it should be. The spices lead the way in the long, warming finish with wood and chocolate turning dry towards the very end. The Benromach 15 is a fine and multi-layered whisky. Meaty and earthy notes are prominent while the sherry casks have added some dried fruits and maple syrup into the mix. The subtle smoke and eucalyptus notes add further layers to this whisky. Unfortunately, the 43% is insufficient to carry the full experience, and while the Benromach 15 is variegated, I also find it a bit unintegrated. A fine experience, nonetheless. The Benromach Contrasts: Peat Smoke is not as complex as the other bottles but is equally solid in its delivery. I find it more one-dimensional than the others, but it’s still a good dram. The 46% does make a difference and I would love to see the same ABV used in the other drams, as this one does not flatten out over time.

Benromach 15 yo (43%, OB 2020)

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 20th Anniversary Edition Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2019

The 10 is the clear winner for me, and a good standard overall. Age isn’t everything, especially when sherry casks step more into the equation. Now, don’t get me wrong, both of these are enjoyable pours and have a bit more substance and soul compared to many other distilleries. But when you compare the prices with the experiences offered and debate value; the 10yo comes out on top. Nose: Speyside meets Campbeltown – toffee apples, orange peels, honey and beeswax vs. gentle but unclean ashy smoke, surface cleaner and used oil. More overtly sherried than the 10 year old, this delivers stewed red berries, dusty wood cellars as well as some slightly tropicalness from pineapple. Oatmeal, tanned leather, lemon drop sweets and bitter chocolate all provide additional nuances. The longer maturation softens its smokiness to hints of charred smoke while developing the wood imbued character of succulent honey, vanilla and fruit.’ This 15 yo bridges the gap nicely between the standard 10 yo and its big badass sister that is the 100 proof/cask strength. It has the boldness and richness from the 10 yo cask strength, yet due to the lower ABV it’s accessible enough for those who might find the 57% ABV beast to be a bit much. Benromach and owners Gordon & Macphail used to have, “It’s the wood that makes the whisky” as their baseline until a few years ago and and while, from today’s point of view, that might seem a tad simplistic, this 2016 expression is living proof of the company putting that theory into practice.The Benromach 21 shows its age with grace. It’s well-settled, mellow, and multi-layered at the same time. The sherry notes blend in nicely with the earthy aspects and the subtle smoke. Again, the 43% is insufficient to carry the experience, and the slight sulphury touch does not sit well with me. The Benromach 21 is more to my liking than the Benromach 15, but it is not up there with the 10 in my book. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise. Nose: Zesty, fruity, deep orange, blood orange, red grapefruit, heather honey, malty cereal barley, a touch of smoke, milky vanilla, ginger, milk chocolate, sherry trifle, a little floral too. A wonderfully complex dram with zesty fruits, chocolate and sherry influences, the added maturation adds a little more oak wood influence and spice over the 10 year old and 100° Proof expressions. A great price for a characterful 15 Year Old Speyside whisky. Score 88/100

Mouth: fairly rich, with dry malty notes, leather, but also rounder dried fruits (apricot, yellow apple peelings) and a slight waxy note. Fruit tea, raisins, hints of cinnamon and rubbed mint leaves. Cocoa. Each and every Member must be of legal drinking age in its country of residence to be allowed to use the Service. If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service. We have the right to ask you to provide proof of your age and/or to provide further identification to prevent underage usage and/or for any other legal or legitimate purpose. By using the Service, and by creating an account you represent, warrant and confirm that you are of legal age. Full disclosure: I own an open bottle of the Benromach 10, and I have received samples of the other expressions from a colleague in a whisky group. Bottle code: 26/11/20 200990. All these drams have a genuine character. They remind me of old-school whiskies and the first-fill casks make an impact as well. These are aromatic whiskies that have much to offer and are well worth spending time on to enjoy and explore. Let’s hope that Benromach continues to fly under the radar so it remains widely available at affordable prices for us to drink and enjoy while others are busy chasing their unicorns. Meanwhile, let’s also see to it that Benromach fares well in the future by buying something from their range from time to time. We need more distilleries that deliver something different and offer some depths to explore.Like all our whiskies, Benromach 15 Years Old is handcrafted using the finest natural ingredients and is a distinctive Speyside whisky with a subtle smoky character. Whiskybase B.V. is the Dutch private limited liability company, having its statutory seat in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and its office at Zwaanshals 530, 3035 KS Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Whiskybase B.V. is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under no. 52072819. Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct by us.

Compared to the 10, there’s more sherry present. Your typical notes of leather, a buffed red apple, red berries and a sappiness. Again, vanilla, some sense of the wood as well, ginger, fudge and roast beef. Some chocolate as well, honey, plums, raisins and walnuts, but also a less expressive nose compared to the 10 and more wood-focused. Palate: A bit hot. Oaky and buttery, with resinous dried fruit. There’s a lot of depth to explore here, and I wasn’t able do it justice with a single pour. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.Distilled at Benromach distillery in Speyside and matured for a minimum of 10 years in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, then finished in ex-Oloroso Sherry for 5 years for a total 15 years minimum maturation. The Whisky of the Year tasting is the only official global blind whisky tasting undertaken by members of the public and, for the first time this year, the six shortlisted whiskies were nominated by global customers of The Whisky Exchange, with more than 1,200 putting forward their favourites. Thanks to Benromach for the festive sample and timely revisit to this expression. My tasting notes: Demerara sugar, salted caramel, syrup and a mixture of chocolate and red fruits like ‘mon cherie bonbons’, cherries. Overall a full and rich sensation with a subtle yet deep, scorched earth dirtiness to it. If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.