We already announced Benromach 35 Year Old some days ago and now we had a chance to sample it. It is created from 1980s first-fill sherry casks, laid down before the distillery was acquired and restored by Gordon & MacPhail in 1993-1998.
Benromach 35 yo
(43%, OB 2016)
Benromach 35 yoNose: my kinda profile, with the typical warm beehive notes (wax, honey, hints of mead) and very pleasant, sweet & sour fruity notes (mirabelles, pear, kiwi), even a lightly tropical touch (melon). Sweet, polished oak. Cinnamon sugar. Also very light tobacco and a minty edge. No wham-bam whisky, but very elegant and warm. Mouth: medium fruity at first, with a similar sweet and sour combination. Tangerines, red apples and berries. Subtle raisins. Then some zesty notes and a hint of toasted oak. Menthol. Faint mineral touches and hints of clove.
Finish: medium long, on orange oils, tobacco and oak juices.
This is quite a sophisticated, delicate dram, with the right balance between fruity freshness and oaky maturity. Seems more like a refill whisky to me, which helps the classy profile and adds a lot of details. Very good, but the 1976 vintage still has an edge for me. Around € 550.
Score: 90/100