Benromach has released the 2022 edition of its Triple Distilled single malt, which is now part of the Contrasts series. Released in 2017 (see my review), this whisky now appears in the new bottle style for the first time.
It is a 2011 vintage, but although it has the same age as the classic Benromach 10, it has a lighter, smoother character. It passes through the wash still and then twice through the spirit still. Maturation takes place in first fill bourbon casks. For some reason the ABV went down from 50% to 46% ABV.
Benromach Contrasts: Triple Distilled 2011 (46%, OB 2022)
Nose: quite fruity, with lime candy and plenty of pear juice up front. Also a kind of buttery vanilla and ripe banana in the background. At the same time the grassy peat is clearly noticeable, with a distant campfire, mineral echoes and wet gravel, not unlike Springbank (make that Hazelburn).
Mouth: smooth, with a rather thin body (for Benromach standards) but nice fruity notes again. There is lemon juice and lemon peels with green banana and apple peelings, even tropical flashes of pineapple. Then plenty of ashy notes and pepper come forward. A firm grassy and oaky edge keeps grows stronger. A light salty note appears towards the end.
Finish: medium long, on smouldering grasses, mineral smoke, lemon zest and some drying oak.
This Triple Distilled sits in the same corner as Hazelburn or perhaps a light Caol Ila, albeit with more Speyside fruits. Somehow the lightness makes it seems younger and less complex than the regular Benromach style. A nice variation but it doesn’t reach the same heights as the regular 10. Now in stock at The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt for instance.