After the excellent surprise that was the Benromach 10 Year Old, we’re now trying another release from the same distillery (Speyside’s smallest operational distillery by the way). It’s the Benromach 1976, part of the Heritage collection which also includes the 30 Year Old and a 1969 vintage.
Benromach vintage 1976 was matured in first fill and refill sherry hogsheads. Obviously it was produced by the previous owners and even made with different equipment – Gordon & MacPhail installed new stills when they reopened the distillery.
Benromach 1976 (46%, OB 2012)
Nose: creamy start. Tinned peaches and oranges, with quite some sourish kiwi and subtle hints of passion fruits. Very fruity, in a rather candied way. Honey pops. Polished wood. Traces of vanilla, coconut and menthol. Some gentle sherry influence in the background (fresh figs).
Mouth: a bit soft but still quite fruity, not unlike some Longmorn or BenRiach from the same era. Apricot, pink grapefruit, passion fruit and plenty of oranges. Gains weight after a while, with some milk chocolate, ginger and pepper, as well as some leather and tobacco. A few floral notes. Coriander. Nutty sherry. More oak now, but still refined.
Finish: quite long, beautiful tobacco notes and still lots of lingering fruits and spices.
Pretty great again, a complex Benromach with the fruity smoothness of old Speysiders but also extra sophistication. Benromach 10 still wins the value for money award though, this one costs around € 550.
Score: 91/100