Purchased this one based on your review, what a really great dram, right in my wheelhouse. Thanks for the review & recommendation Still ordered my Springbank 12cs & Longrow Red Malbec matured, waiting for them to arrive.
@@Gwhisky The same is being done with the Craigallechie line and Ardnamuchan. When folks ask about where they can get Springbank, they are being directed to these 'alternates'. I was. I was looking for 'lightly peated' expressions, and everybody pointed me at Springbank. When I told them that Springbank wasn't even sold where I live, then I was pointed to other expressions which folks thought filled my bill of 'lightly peated'.
Feel like Benromach is really coming into the light with Whisky people. Really enjoyed the 15 and the 10 and these Cask Strength bottles sound decent so will have to try them. Really think the branding suits the whisky much better now. Great review.
This one is amazing! My whisky of the year and i had some amazing whiskys this year like arran 18 an SB 12 CS! The alcohol is extremly well integrated, it has some unique flavories, very pleasant smokiness and a subtle vinegar note that i always associate with SP and on the top of everything its quite well priced and widely avalaible at least in europe. Btw the new 2010 batch is out, def need to get my hands on it! Cheers and thanx for the nice review 🥃
I did a side by side comparison of the Batch 4 with Uigeadail last night and it was a seriously close run thing. Benromach is always regarded as having a subtle peat profile compared to the Islay big hitters but it more than held its own. Would score the Oogie a point or two higher as the Batch 4 has slightly more astringency to it but both are in excess of 90/100 in my opinion - absolutely delicious!
Underrated distillery. I think that most recent batches of Springbank CS were not much better than the Benromach CS. Some older batches of the Springbank CS were much better, though Batch 21 was quite interesting and complex. Is it difficult to purchase Springbank in Taiwan? It's easy to buy it in Vietnam! Some older batches of Benromach CS were dirtier and had more peat smoke, but this one is a good batch too...One of the most unique distilleries, indeed!
Agree. We have a 12 Cask Strength here in Taiwan that for me is on par with some of the SB12 batches for a much better price. Springbank has become much rarer and more expensive here. I've heard this is happening in other markets, too. Yeah Benromach has always been gritty, dirty stuff. They still are, but more accessible, which I personally like.
Thanks for the review! Have you tried any of their single cask releases? Currently in the middle of deciding between this 2009 B4 CS and a 9y9m first fill sherry hogshead single cask
Thank you for reviewing Benromach. And to answer your question, yes, you have joined the party late. Also, yeah I can just see the next Coen brothers western with Jeff Bridges taking a swig from a Benromach in the middle of the prairies. Benromach really is one of the most underrated and underappreciated whiskies around. Along with Mortlach, Craigellachie and some bottles of Benriach, it has a distinct savory profile that adds that interesting complexity to the standard Speyside flavor profile. They are definitely unafraid in including quite a few of the late feint cuts in their whisky and all the better for it! I did always enjoy Benromach and found myself coming back to their bottles often. The CS Batch 4 is a good one! I love the spices I get from the flavor, the zest, the long chocolate, mint, clove finish with that lingering smoke. It reminds me of a winter bonfire with pine cones in it. Smores and barbeque sauce as well. Lovely whisky and another fantastic review.
It's a shame, we have a Taiwan exclusive here which is a Cask Strength 12. It's the finest Benromach I've ever had. Oddly, it's cheaper than the batch 4 which is 11 years old. It's also entirely first fill sherry. Excellent value and an amazing dram. Anyway, yes this brand is underappreciated. I'm certainly late to the party here, but I've been making up for it lately. I recently went on a bit of a spree. I picked up the 10, the 12 (again), and the 15 to round out my collection. Not a single dud among them, although I'm baffled that a brand like this would opt for a 43% abv for their standard 10 and 15 year olds. Regardless, it's a hell of a core range.
@@Gwhisky Talk about making up for being late to the party! You have convinced Benromach to come up with a Taiwan exclusive, just for you! Benromach is one of those rare gems that I love inspite of a lower ABV. Much like Glengoyne and Aconoc. Might be an attempt to keep the price down and make it more accessible at the same time. That being said, they should include some cask strength bottlings for the flavor mongers like us.
@Soumya Rudra Agree. As always they should have gone for 46%, but they're still wonderful at 43%. I'd love to try a cask strength AnCnoc! I believe I saw one in Canada a couple of years back, but the price was far less attractive than the whisky (to be fair that's most whisky in Canada). I've tried a few early batches of the Glengoyne Cask Strength expressions (I believe 001 and 003), and I wasn't particularly taken with them. Glengoyne has recently rebranded though and I'm curious to see if anything beyond the label has changed. You like them more than I do, it seems, but it's been a while since I spent much time with the brand. Been eying that 12...
@@Gwhisky Yes. Glengoyne generally produce high quality whiskies that are perfect for what it is intended for. Un-complicated, unremarkable, yet clean, easy to drink and accessible. Also, one of the whiskies that you can come back to anytime of the year and enjoy it. I love its clean barley forward, fruit and nut profile. Very refreshing. The 12 has a lovely, rounded mouthfeel and a surprisingly long finish for 43% ABV. Acnoc 12 is the one I usually have in my collection. It has a unique character which I enjoy. I have tried their cask strength, I believe it was a 16 year maturation, if my memory serves me correctly. It was a delicious dram but not something I would break the bank for. It lacked the spices of the 12 year old and had more of a floral, fruity characteristics. I remember getting some rosewater attar, turkish delight notes, dark berries and soft mocha. Btw have you reviewed the Glencadam 15? I opened up an old bottle I had last night. I had forgotten what a beautiful whisky it was.
Interesting! Might give the Goyne 12 another go. Glencadam 15 is wonderful stuff, although it's tough to track down around here. I believe it's one of the few brands that doesnt have a Taiwanese distributor these days (although they used to be ubiquitous). Shame, that. As far as I'm concerned it's one of the “purest” and most “highlandy” highland whiskies out there. I really wish I could get more of it here. I miss it.
Amazing content again! This channel defo needs more attention you deserved. Keep up the good works Geoff or Jeff! Btw I have finally decided to get a benromach bottle after watching your reviews. May I know how does this stack up against the benromach 12 cs? Which one in your opinion is a better buy? I live in Hong Kong where the price for these 2 bottles is very similar.
Haven't seen the rebranded bottles of Benromach on our market yet. I've had Benromach 10 in an old bottle with the golden label. I like it but somewhat it fell short of being wow. I have a bottle of the old 10 yo 100 proof (imperial) still unopened in the stash. From my experience Benromach is a pretty good whisky and reasonably priced too. IMHO 46% ABV will greatly improve their core range 10 and 15 yo.
Yeah they're not a “commercial” style of whisky. Odd choice to go for 43% abv with their core range. I've only recently been getting into the brand. Haven't always been consistent but based on the 3 bottles I've had recently they seem to be hitting their stride.
Benromach are definitely an underrated distillery. It's a shame they don't bottle the 10 and the 15 at 46% but they are still great. I recently got a bottle of the new Benromach Organic which is 46% now, can't wait to open it!
@@Gwhisky But, the other side of that is that since everybody and their brother doesn't want one of each expression offered (like they do with Springbank), then the prices aren't pushed up by all that demand. So...hush.
Thanks for the review. I am on leave in San Diego collecting bottles to fly back to Hawaii and was debating whether I should bring this one since I have not been able to find it in Hawaii
I don’t like the new packaging at all, not tried batch 4 yet, but did try 100 proof and batch 1. The 100 proof was a country mile nicer, for a cask strength whisky it was quite delicate, I found the batch 1 a touch farmyard!
The 100 proof was an interesting dram. I think I preferred it to the earlier batches of this, too. And yeah, this packaging isn't for everyone. Kinda Soviet looking!
Thanks for your review! There are a couple of bottles of old packaging in the store near my house. Do you think it is worth buying one of them? Our price in Israel is about 92-95$ US! P. S. I have never tried any Benromach before... Shalom 👋
This one is a particular vintage and the 12 doesn't state that it is. Beyond that, not much. The 12 is older, cheaper, and better. It's a Taiwan exclusive, though.
Would you recommend this Beneomach Cask Strength Batch 4 2009 or Benromach 12? Have nv tried Benromach but but want to buy one after your two reviews of the. Thx!
So, I debouched my single malts from my cabinet and arrayed them by ABV. A big surprise was that the Benromachs I have (10 & 15) are both 43% ABV (the other that Aberlour 12 is just 40%). I just popped for the Contrasts: Peated Sherry and it clocks in a 46%. I'm now toying with the idea of a bottle of cask strength. Of course, it is not available from the state liquor nanny, so I've got to purchase it online for delivery. When I go online, I find plenty of offerings, but they are not the 2009 bottle like you show, but 2012 or 2013 labelings. How am I to weigh these options? Is there a database for comparing the various Benromach CS bottlings?
They've had a few “Springbanky” whiskies. Closest for me was a 12 CS that I reviewed a while back. Big sherry and great complexity. I had the 100 proof a while back, but that was ages ago.
Bladnoch is really rare in Taiwan. The one distributor they have tends to overcharge. Shame, I really want to try it. If I ever catch one at a decent price I'll definitely grab it!
@@Gwhisky Thanks! I'm in Hong Kong and have access to both at around the same price. I've only had the 12, which is fantastic (especially the nose) but a very strong, wild whisky.
Hmm. Benromach is another one of those brands that just doesn’t have a presence in Florida. I saw the standard 10 like 2 years ago in a shop, one bottle at that. There is an organic bottle in a local shop I saw. Because of this I’ve never had any benromachs, although I’m curious. Maybe one day they’ll send a shipment our way. Until then, they’re off the map. No real reason for either. The elusive Springbank has managed to throw bottles our way over the years. I even found some 12 yr olds (probably never again) year and half ago .
Shame you can't get ahold of any Benromach. Ive never tried the organic, but most of their range is worthwhile. Sounds like classic Florida availability...
