Founded in 1898 by Duncan McCallum and F.W. Brickman, the Speyside Benromach distillery was purchased by Gordon & MacPhail in 1993 after 10 spending 10 years in hibernation who reopened it in 1998. Since then they’ve released a few different bottling to different acclaim, and in late 2009 their first 10 year old expression saw daylight – and that’s what I’ll be dowsing my palate with today.

This is actually the first Benromach that I have tried thus far, and I am rather pleasantly surprised! For a young distillery this is a well balanced whisky, then again you wouldn’t expect anything else seeing as it is owned by G&M. The nose reminds me of salty smoked bacon along with wood, butterscotch and vanilla. The palate is slightly more interesting in my opinion, it’s full of butterscotch sweetness along with peaty smoke and leather – very smooth, and quite oily, goes down very easily indeed.

Considering its price-tag of around £30 and its relative newness to the market, this is a good value for market dram and I welcome it with open arms.

Colour: golden sunlight.

Nose: salty smoked bacon, wood, butterscotch and vanilla.

Taste: butterscotch sweetness, peaty smoke and leather. Very smooth and quite oily.

Want to buy this whisky? Available in: UK & Europe (click), USA & World (click)

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• Ardbeg 10 Year Old
• Glenlossie 10 Year Old
• Lagavulin 16 Year Old