Located in Forres on the western fringes of the Speyside region lies one of our favourite and treasured little distilleries. The Benromach distillery – like many others – was mothballed in the whisky crisis of the early 1980’s. In 1993 it was picked up by one of the most renowned independent bottlers, Gordon & MacPhail. Production restarted some five years later. Since then they’ve been working hard on branding and promotion, with good-looking bottles and interesting releases. While the distillery is still not running on its maximum capacity, there’s a clear progression and lots of expressions are available: this Benromach 10 Year Old, a few oldies, a peated version, an organic version and several wine finishes. They’ve really hit their straps now and are now the most important Speyside distillers of choice for us. This might seem like a strange call with the abundance of heavyweights coming out of this region but trust me, consider this, you won’t be disappointed. Benromach 10 matures in a combination of 80% bourbon barrels and 20% sherry hoggies. It spends its final year in first fill Oloroso casks. There’s so much going on it this whisky. Sweet fruit topped with cinnamon and chocolate fudge. There’s also and nice woodiness to it and what sets it apart is it’s subtle hint of bonfire smoke. An absolute winner at this price. Benromach 10yo (£36). On tasting
Benromach 10yo
For DoddieAid 2024 teams of cyclists from all over the UK propelled themselves across Europe through the bitter March weather to reach Rome ahead of the Scotland v Italy Six Nations match on 9th March.
