Benromach Peat Smoke Single Malt 46% (2017)

Benromach Peat Smoke Single Malt 46%

Benromach Peat smoke 2008 has been aged in Bourbon casks and smoked with a high ppm, which has made it an elegant smoked whiskey with red berry sweetness and citrus notes.

Scent: Rainwater on a fire which begins with an elegant but strong draw, rich in peat notes, fruits and wood shavings
Taste: Citrus cuts through to the smoke along with a little red berry sweetness.
Phenol Level: 47 ppm

Distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2017

Distillery:

Benromach was founded in 1898 and was one of the distilleries that had to close in 1983, when very little whiskey was drunk and the industry lagged. Benromach restarted production in 1998. It was the independent bottler, Gordon & MacPhail who restarted Benromach. They bought the distillery in 1993 and spent the next 5 years renovating and installing new equipment.

Gordon & MacPhail is known for having huge quantities of old whiskey that the company has bought over the years, and were thus uniquely placed to look through their "floating library" and trace the style that Benromach had before the closure .

The new distillery was then designed to match the old style as best as possible. And they have even installed a malt grinder that was built in 1913! In particular, a hint of smoke was thought to be extremely important. This is how Speyside whiskey tasted in the old days, because before the 1960s most distilleries malted themselves, and here they used both coal and peat. Their standard malt peats to 10-12ppm, but they also make a little bit of whiskey with a significantly stronger smoke.

Benromach is the essence of a craft distillery. It's hands-on, all the way through, and probably the smallest distillery in Speyside. Only 2 men are involved in the production! There are no thermometers or pressure gauges on their pot-stills - you ensure that things run as they should with "sound, touch and sight". It's old fashioned, but it's amazingly good. Benromach have set the bar unreasonably high for their competitors in Speyside.