Benromach Binny's Hand Selected 10 Year Single Cask First Fill Sherry Hogshead Speyside Single Malt

VITALS:

- $90

- 121.2 Proof

- 10 Years

- Cask No. 719

- Speyside

I certainly have a professed love for sweet and peat, or, in other words, peated Scotch aged in ex-wine barrels. Fortified wine barrels, particularly, always seem to add that sweet, fruity, jammy note to the smoky notes from the peat that just make my mouth water.

So, when Binny's got a couple Benromach picks in, one of which was aged in a first fill sherry hogshead, the manager at my local store, knowing my love of sweet and peat, made it a point to let me know. Not only did she let me know it had come in, but she had tried it and declared it to be an incredible pour. At that point there was no way I was going home without a bottle.

When I popped the cork, I was immediately hit with those jammy notes I fully expected. I got great aromas of strawberry and cranberry, along with a bit of a bread note, almost like a pie crust. There was a bit of spice on the nose as well, kind of a clove spice, that seemed to tag along with the smoky note. It was like a spicy, smoky strawberry pie, and my mouth watered each time I took a good whiff.

As to flavor, I'll describe the over all experience like this: it was like a smoked raspberry strudel (something I may have to search out a recipe for, as it sounds delicious as I type it) on top of a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream. This was absolutely a dessert whiskey, and it was delicious!

The creamy vanilla persisted and seemed to blend perfectly with the ever-present smoke. The bright raspberry notes were front and center, and they seemed to be sweetened up a bit by a honey note. It even had a solid malt backbone to give it that crumbly strudel flavor.

While the spice from the nose didn't seem as present, everything else was so good together I didn't seem to miss it.  The high proof provided a great viscosity and completely coated my mouth and throat and made for an incredibly long finish of raspberry and barbecue, with that same undercurrent of vanilla.

I could not get enough of this single cask! This is one of my favorite pours that I've had in quite some time.  I have no idea if there are any more of these sitting on the shelves anywhere. I'd be surprised if there were. But, if I happen to come across another, it's going straight into my cart.

Grade: A+

Benromach 15 Year Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:

- $70

- 86 Proof

- 15 Years

- Speyside

I am certainly a big fan of peated whiskies finished in wine casks. As far as single malts go, I lean almost exclusively in that direction, and I frequently find myself focusing only on the Islay section of the Scotch aisle. However, Benromach, despite being a Speyside distillery, has always used peat in their products, and I figured it was time that I give their 15 year a try.

After all, not only is this one peated, but, although not stated anywhere on the packaging, was matured at least in part in first-fill sherry casks.   Sign me up! And the price certainly makes it an easy decision, as the $70 price point is more than generous for a 15 year peated whiskey finished in first-fill casks. Perhaps a little more proof would have been great, but then you'd have to pay for it.

Despite their claim that this has a "subtle" smoky flavor, the peat smoke came through fairly strongly on the nose.  Behind that, however, were great notes of brown sugar and butter crackers, like Ritz crackers. The best part about the nose, however, was the bright raspberry note that married so well with that peat smoke and immediately had me salivating.

Interestingly, there wasn't nearly as much smoke in flavor as the nose had me believe. While it was there, it was indeed "subtle," and far less dominant than it was on the nose. That bright raspberry note I got on the nose wasn't nearly as strong as I had expected as well. It was a tad muted, which was immediately a bit disappointing.

However, that disappointment didn't last long, because while the raspberry note didn't take over, other great, rich notes came through to provide more complexity and nuance. I got rich fruits, like fig and raisin, paired with a molasses sweetness. There was even a pie crust note that created this sort of rich and sweet and yet savory flavor that was not only incredible but a bit unexpected.

On the finish the peat smoke seemed to come through much more. It was almost like it was the flavor that was left behind. A bit of sweet brown sugar accompanied that note and a bit of the fruit notes, both bright and dark fruits, lingered as well, albeit not for a super long time.

This was a delicious pour, and it surprised me at times the direction it went. It was unexpected, but certainly enjoyable.

Grade: B+

Benromach 30 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:
- $450.00
- 86 Proof
- 30 Years
- Speyside

It's been a long time since I've done a Scotch review on here. For one reason or another, I've found myself focusing more on rye and bourbon--a matter of personal preference, really. But, thanks to a ridiculously generous gift, this amazing, 30 year old single malt landed in my lap!! I have never had a whisky this old before, so that in and of itself is a first. Plus, I've never (nor do I anticipate ever) spent this much on a single bottle of whiskey. The price is nuts to me, but with Scotch you certainly pay for age.

This was absolutely a special occasion pour. I only went to this bottle when friends were over--fellow whisky drinkers that I haven't seen in a while, or my good drinking buddies who just had to try this. It was also a Christmas and New Year's pour, and last night, it was my early Fat Tuesday (Fat-urday?) pour to finish off the bottle. I didn't want to see it go, but I felt the occasion justified the kill.

The nose was malty and sweet. I got a lot of bread and yeast notes along with some light milk chocolate. It had just a slight amount of baking spices to give it a little bit of kick, which was rounded out by a hint of plum or some other stone fruit, perhaps a mild cherry flavor. All of this seemed to roll over a constant sweet tobacco leaf aroma that was absolutely delicious smelling.

My first impressions of this Scotch were that it was very bready. I don't know what I expected from such a well-aged Scotch, but I thought I was going to get a lot of complexity and perhaps more wood influence. At first all I really got were those sweet bread notes. It also had a distinct tea flavor to it that I thought was interesting--something I haven't really noticed elsewhere. Perhaps this is where the wood influence came in.

After those initial pours, however, this really developed into a complex, delicate, and incredibly delicious whisky.  A nice floral note (yes, I have eaten a flower before) seemed to develop on the front end of each sip before giving way to the other flavors. I also started to get sweeter notes of honey and vanilla. Although it's entirely unrelatable to anyone reading this, it reminded me of my grandma's house, where with every meal we had homemade bread with honey-butter made with homemade honey. It's a simple yet indelible memory, and this whisky brought me back to it.'

It came across as very oily and buttery, and it really coated the mouth well, leaving those bread and honey notes to linger for a long time after each sip. The tea notes eventually faded away, but at times I got a certain earthy note, kind of like a sweeter mushroom flavor. That sounds weird, but that was as best as I could put my finger on the note. It gave it a bit of an "old" taste, and if I'm looking for flaws, I guess this would be it.

That being said, that "old" note was fleeting, and it hardly took away from the honey forward notes that I got, particularly on the last few pours. As mentioned above, this is a complex and delicate whisky, and one I never would have tried but for a very generous gift. While it may not be the best Scotch I've ever head, it certainly was incredible, and I'm sure I'll shed a brief tear as I toss this one into the recycling bin.

Grade: A