whisky review 511 - Benromach 10yo @ 43%vol 

Just opened a bottle of this to celebrate my first born entering the world :) A big, bouncing 9 lb laddie!! Seems like I made a good choice! Cheers Ralfy and fellow Malt Mates!!

Its really interesting how u make your favorites, Ralfy. One would think a connoisseur like you would ONLY focus on quality.. and this way you would always pick the best of the best of the best. Yet you always take into account the PRICE, AVAILABILITY etc to determine the OVERALL goodness of something.. very commendable!

Ralfy, you've turned me into a Benromach warrior! I bought the Peat Smoke upon your recommendation ...and I'm just BLOWN AWAY! Their website is gorgeous... amazing stuff, Ralfy. Thanks for your insights and hard work behind the scenes!

This really is one of my all time favorites. And I keeps getting better every time I go back to it. Amazing stuff!

Picked up my very first bottle today. I happy to say that in December 2021 that this is just a good as the description in this video. Even after adding a pinch of water to this 46%\83 proof whiskey it’s so savory and seems to have something different every time I smell it, and the taste is so delightful

Off the cuff eloquence is a sure sign of intelligence Ralfy. I really love your reviews. Long may they continue. Malty maleficent magnificents maybe as a malt mention?

I love this distillery. One of my top three at the moment. We’re the old bottles a bit better casks? Maybe. But they’re still delivering bangers for the money compared to the bonkers prices others ask for worse liquor.

G&M are whisky masters. This deserves to be the one of the year.

Had my first sip of this one today. Old leather chairs, dry season dust (specifically, African dust, something in the dust smell takes me back to SA) just before the rain, wood chips (oak?), fudge and peach in the nose for me (with a drop of water) and similar in the taste, but with a bit of smoke (peat) I find, and sherbet in the arrival. Quite fresh and fizzy. Really enjoyed it :D

I know this is very late, but excellent video, Ralfy. I will be buying a bottle of this soon. A local store still has an old bottle like this tucked away that nobody else is going to buy. Cheers!

Thanks for introducing me to this, Ralfy! I asked my local shop to order some, but it turns out that Gordon & McPhail are getting dropped around here, so it's pretty hard to get in the states. I'll keep trying. In other news, BRING BACK THE TRISKELLION!!!!!! Wherever we are thrown we will land on our feet!

I love revisiting this single malt. It's a winner. Equally i love revisiting your review of this malt. It's got to be one of your best. Thanks!

Ralfy, Happy New Year and a huge thanks for a great inside tip! I had my local shop order a bottle for me. This is a great spirit and I enjoyed it very much. Cheers!

I thought I'd heard you state it very clearly before, but I had to go back and check. Whisky Review 329 - Whisky of the Year 2012: "It's got to be natural color. It's got to be not chill filtered." I thought these were immutable standards for your Whisky of the Year. What gives? Still a great review, and thanks for all your work and entertaining assistance in the world of whisky! Happy New Year!

Congratulations on 50 000 subscribers ***** Not at all bad, and should be a clear statement of the quality content you kindly provide to your audience. Nice start for the year. Slainte mhath!

Just purchased a bottle of Benromach 10 Y O! I thought I had picked up a newer version due to its presentation/label which was different to the one which you reviewed, but it wasn’t until I revisited whisky review 82 to realise that I had in fact picked up an older bottling.

Happy new year Ralfy! Looking forward to many more mad, mellow, malty moments. Cheers!

Just bought a bottle. What a delicious savoury Speyside!

Hey Ralfy. I loved your Malty Mood Moment. It was beautiful. Nice one! :)

Thanks for this nice review! Happy 2015 for you Ralfy and all my fellow malt mates!😄

Hi Ralfy. Were you going to go into a bit more regarding the different yeasts ? All the best for 2015 from sunny South Africa and keep up the awesome work.

I know this is much after the fact Dear Sir but just had the opportunity to try this last night at my father's retirement dinner. The barman commented on how not many people ask for it (which must be true as he sniffed the top of the bottle when he opened it... no fear malt mate, i watched carefully... no snotters 😉..). I mentioned you and that you had rated it well and I was excited to try it. I must say this was an amazing malt! Had the character and substance of a Springbank dram which has easily been my top favorite to date. Thoroughly enjoyed it and thanks to you Dear Sir for helping me to know what to look for! Slainte mhath!

Hey Ralfy. I tried a bottle of this after seeing your reaction in your new year video and liked it so much I bought the 100 proof and the peat smoke varieties as well. The 100 proof is fantastic, most interesting to try side by side with the regular 10. Then I opened the peat smoke one. Wow. At 46% and quite a bit cheaper, I would say that if it doesn't beat Lagavulin 16 its at least on a par. I'd love to know what others think, reviews seem to be pretty scant. Cheers for the recommendation, fantastic distillery!

I've never been a whiskey man myself. Tend to stick to the mircobrew beers. But never the less I love your videos. Enjoy the insight you provide

Very pricey in Norway as well - close to £55 Also, you mention that Benromach is family owned, which is of course true - at least indirectly - seeing as they're owned by Gordon & Macphail, which is a family owned company. But does that mean that you also think that, say, Balvenie - owned by William Grant & Sons - is family owned? I personally don't know if I'd consider either of these whiskies - Benromach or Balvenie - as being genuinely family owned in the same way as, say, Springbank or Glenfarclas. I might be mistaken - it has been known to happen ... Anyway, thanks for yet another fine review.

Speaking of intelligent pricing there is a new scotch on the local shelves -its a Tomatin12 yo...its not a great whiskey but it is a good whiskey priced accordingly. Tomatin has concluded that because they missed the"fine mark" it should and is priced intelligently. Bravo Tomatin!! More distilleries should take the same lead and instead of trying to slide an inferior product by the public, access the intrinsic quality and go from there. Everybody makes mistakes, the strong and sensible are the only ones that will admit it. Peace

can't believe cinnamon hasnt been mentioned. its so strong in this particular whisky. great and complex whisky for sure seems like the flavour profile is rotating with each swirl in the glass.

I miss the old Benromach 10 so much, i’m searching high and low for another like it but no luck so far.

Hello you Majestic Malt-mad-sapiens... Another great review there Ralfy, and a great way to start. Hope you had a great New Years. I am looking forward to picking myself up a bottle of this from my local whisky shop.

A fine bottle of spirits indeed sir. Cheers Ralfy.

Strange decision Ralfy. As you have awarded some whiskies with higher marks, than the whisky that you have chosen for your Malt Whisky of the Year, that allied with the fact that the whisky, as been Chill Filtered. But having said that I haven't sampled the Whisky. But I fully intend to. You have caused quite a stir, on the Malt Maniacs Facebook Page with this decision if you didn't already know, thanks for the review, Ralfy.

I agree 100 % , after 6 years of Ralfy review, on 2021 still same spirit on a bottle. "surprisingly Speyside peat single malt" it's truly highly recommended

For what it is I would have thought way higher malt mark. If you can get a wonderful bargain and love it, is worth 3 or 4 points on my scale. It will rarely disappoint and be the Scotch of the year!

thanks for the upload ralphy, sunday night surprise for us here in Aus

Awesome Stuff Ralfy... I have a sample of this and will Review it soon.. It's a bit of a hidden gem....

Thanks for the malt moment Ralfy. I'm not sure about how I feel with a malt of the year being chill filtered? Should we not also make a stand against chill filtering and e150? The same as NAS whisky's. No worries though I'm sure it must be fantastic if it's malt of the year.

Great review! Thanks for the NAS Boycott - from a Malt Mardi Gras madman in Louisiana.

Great review as always! Happy new year to you.

well thank you my malty matey ive been drinking quality rums for 3 years but you have helped me find some great whiskeys iam converted thank you !

Have tried this and its very good.Only a small distillery in Forres,Scotland but this whisky is quality.Tempted to try Cask Strength next or 15 yr old!

Rather tasty this one from a distillery in Forres,Speyside.Good value and nice dark flavours,with quite a long finish.Mmmmm😋😋😋

I have a bottle of this (the earlier bottling that came in the metal tube) and I love it. I am, however, very happy with the new cardboard container and labelling on the bottle. Have you noticed any differences between the older bottling and the current one?

I noticed in Whisky Review 82 (where you gave Benromach 10yo 85/100) that it was a whole lot lighter in color. Was the previous version not sherry matured, or have they since added a substantial amount of caramel coloring to the 10 yo?

I was just given a 4/5th's full bottle of this from a malt-mate who knows I love the Speyside's but am also partial to a nice smokey Islay! Pleasantly surprised by this (I don't think it will last long)...

Had this at a tasting and it was my favorite of the night. Glad to see it get the credit it's due here. I feel like a real Malt Matriculator!

I don't know if its the new Woolie jumper or the Manx bothy look but it looks like u have packed on a few pounds there Ralfy....just went out and bought me two bottle of benromach 10..they don't gave any of the white writing on them though but a beautiful whisky none the less....cheers.

Hi Ralfy, I have the old bottle of this. I am going to get the new one aswell and have a side by side comparison. Malt Mention: Hello malty mates of mayham. Thanks Michiel from Belgium

What a review.

I love this whisky. why they changed the old packaging, I simply do not know.

Hi Ralfy. Thanks for sharing your tastings with us. I've been using them to guide my purchasing for quite some time. Do you happen to know if the Benromach 10yo found in the earlier, round container and old bottle style, is as good as the current square box style? The reason I ask is that the square box is around £34, and I've found a shop with a lot of 'old stock' that is selling it at £28.99 a bottle, they also have Organic for £32, and BAILIE NICOL JARVIE for £19.59 (which you reviewed last at 88/100)!! Sounds like a genuine bargain, if it's as good as the review you did here.

Tried it, lovely whisky, thanks for the tip!

Ralfy, Is interior lighting just as bad for whisky as sun light? I am thinking of making a shelf in the den. Thanks, Jared

Terrific start to 2015 Ralfy! I'll be adding this one to my next purchase. Any story behind the beautiful paining in the spiffed-up bothy? Sincerely, Ossie

Btw Ralfy u ever tried a Benromach with a wine finish? U have any thoughts on them?

Did you notice that the cover of this box can close a glencairn glass exactly? Just try for your self. Was tasting this one with a springbank 10, nice similarities, yesterday the springbank won it close form the benromach! Time for a re review of the springbank?

Must be a new year. I see a new coat!

Ralfy, Thank you very much for this review. Would you recommend this malt for beginners? I would like to include it in my whisky club, but I am just curious if it will fit.

A Braw Yule and a Guid New Year to all! Ralfy, I just tried Cardhu 15yo and found it very nice, but haven't been able to find a review on it. I would like to know your opinion on it, please.

Ralfy......have a question for you of maybe you think it's a stupid one............actually.........I have TWO potential stupid questions...... 1) I smoke, how much does that influence my smelling and taste experience?? 2) Due to medical reasons I have to mix my whisky with cola, yes, I even do that with single malts.....MY experience is though (with the proper cola) that I can recogneize most of the flavours of the whisky, not ALL, but MOST of them.... And maybe I got a tip for you as well......when I buy a bottle and open it I first smell the cork, which shows the alcohol, THEN I smell the bottle and I smell a lot of the flavours immediately!.........Am sure you already knew that but nevertheless, am looking forward to your answers!! Btw, am going on holidays in july 2015 to Aviemore in the Cairngorns, which distillery would you recommend to visit? Malty John from The Netherlands.

Johnnie Walker XR please Ralfy!!. I bought a bottle last week for a bit less than a bottle of Blue Label(to add to my bottle collection) and i honestly think its better than today's Blue Label. Try it out for yourself!.

Hello you Malty Mariner - The old packaging really is a different whiskey? I figured they just changed from a metal tube to a cardboard box.

Where i live this has the same price like Glenlivet 18, if you need to pick one, witch do you prefer?

Finally! I've been waiting for this :)

Happy new year !

amaai this is real good stuff

Onto my 2nd bottle of this and it is as good, if not better, than the last. Is there a better vfm scotch whisky at the moment?

Hey Ralfy, what is the highest malt mark you've given?

i have a dram of this lovely stuff right now....seeing forward for the 15 year old

Concerning NAS, last week I opened a bottle of kilchoman coull point which is NAS on the bottle but believed to be 4 to 5 year old. I really love the complexity it brings for such a young whiskey. I think if you can sample a whiskey before buying and you like it for the money you have to pay, age doesn't really matter. As with previous posters (and have heard rally saying it as well before) non chill filtering and no colorant adds flavor so which of these three metrics do matter most? For this variety of kilchoman it is indeed non chill and non colorant added. just my 2 cents. @ Ralfy keep up the good work, love your reviews and best wishes for 2015!!!!!!

Nice jacket Ralfy!

Serious question, does thistle find it's way into the distillation process? What effect does it have?

512 is 2 to the 9th. Make it special!

Hi Ralfy, great review. You reviewed Benromach 10 in 2009 and gave it a lower mark then. Could you comment on the differences between the two bottles? Thanks!

Yay first have a great Sunday Ralphy

***** I have been using an old cognac snifter for quite a long time. Someone gave it to me some time ago and I use it for pretty much all drinks. I don't drink cognac nearly as often as I drink whisky. Do you believe a whiskey glass will enhance my experience, or am I fine with the cognac snifter?

Interesting indeed. You know I just noticed that the tag with ralfy.com written on it is a paint swatch. Doing a little redecorating at the time? :)

Ralfy, I've seen a cask strength version of this. Any comments?

Ralfy, On Oct 16, 2009, in Whisky Review 82, you gave Benromach 10 with an older style label an 85 malt mark. Is WR511 a re-review of BR10?. Or, is the WR511 newer label Benromach 10 different from the product reviewed in 2009? Or, is there some other significance difference or characteristic between the older & newer BR10? Also a few reviews ago, you mentioned that you were not going to review Non-Age-Statement whiskies. Does this mean that you are not going to review or re-review any base grade whiskies (like Old Smuggler, Black & White, Grant's Family Reserve, or Vat 69) or premium blends & blended malts (like Compass Box's offerings)? I look forward to your twice a week visit to my computer. Again, Thanks, Richard

I just bought a bottle of this, remembering it was your malt of the year 2014. I paid what is 45 pounds to you, sounds reasonable ?

Ralfy, this is actually a re-review. See whisky review 82.

what a cliffhanger

$57 in Nova Scotia Canada. But that should come as no surprise..

mark of 81, scathing ralfy review. mark of 89, whisky of the year. it shouldnt make sense, but it does on ralfy.com. love your channel Ralfy.

Hey Ralfy love your videos.

I miss living in Texas, I could get all the Scotch I could handle at Spec's.. Here all I can get is johnny walker red label. Hate my current life.

No reviews on:::: Old Pulteny Navigator, Glenfiddich Malt Masters, Highland Park Dark Origins, Laphroaig Select? (whatever its called) Talisker Storm...ect!!! go Ralfy

I just turned 21 which is the legal drinking age in the United States. What are your recommendations for a good first whisky? I really enjoy the videos!

sharing my first malt-moment with my fellow maltys with this dram!

oh my, how things can change... I bought a bottle of this just after your initial review, it was wonderful... couldn't wait to get my hands on another... Bottle number 2 just over 18 months later?? very disappointing... all the nuances gone... the peat overwhelmed (which is fine if that is what you want), the sherry has disappeared, the finesse is gone - more than anything it reminds me of a Lagavulin suffering from crappy casks... Sorry to have to bear the bad news, but I just thought everyone should know... one of those caveat emptor things...

Greetings from Peru. Thank you for your wise analysis! Salud.

seems abit pricey for a 10 year old. same price range as the lagavulin 16 and glenmorangies non chill filtered range (quina ruban and nectar). likely makes up for its price in flavor as you choose it as your malt of the year but is it as good as the malts i mentioned above, since im always buying my scotch on a budget id hate to spend more than i have to

I sometimes mix Scottish whisky with Polish , Russian vodka or gin or brandy there are Norwegian or Swedish delicts of Gaelic.So why dont you study old Norse or Icelandic.

Hi ralfy, any chance of selling some photographs you took of distilleries? I liked them and won't be going to Scotland any time soon

The 5yr is in Sainsbury's for £32,,,,to young?

I find it taste just like a peated version of Old Pulteney 12yo.

Below is a link to all of Ralfy's Single Malt reviews including his malt marks and info from Whiskybase. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BuVCjv8FY9Wa2FJpKgLqQh9NwoSE3Okb_tasTtHbvC4/edit?usp=sharing

Not getting anything but peat in my bottle, a little sweetness? I wonder if it is a mislabeled bottle of their peated version.

Is there a list of distilleries that aren't owned by multinational corporations?

Was that Joan Jett I heard in the background around 10:58 ;)

I have and like Benromach Peat Smoke. This is better! Delicious. Thank you.