whisky review 529 - Benromach 10yo cask strength @ 57%vol 

I'm about to crack the same 2007 bottle myself. Very pleased to hear the smoke is there with layers beneath it.

. . . should be good !

Bunnahabhain 12 is grrrreat!😋💥

. . . happy to help with your malt-moments !

. . .good connection.

I have yet to crack my last bottle, but I know a few people that would have they're socks blown off by this one.

I had the same experience with my first bottle of Glenfarclas 12... Thought it was terrible, and actually told my girlfriend, who also loves scotch, that it was undrinkable! Now it is one of our favorites and always have one on hand! So first impressions can be misleading!

Very interesting. I had a similar experience with a few first tastes of Ralfy-recommended malts. Old Pulteney 12, Highland Park 12, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 12, Ardbeg 10 where I worried I'd wasted my money. I learned not to judge from first impressions as they are now among favorites. So many things can affect our perception of whisky (try your favorite dram when you have the flu or a cold). Also they don't all like to be tasted in the same session. Now I always suspend judgement until I've had multiple attempts. Also you experiment with water until you find the sweet spot.

Alex K Old Pultney 12 took me on a ride. Still not my favorite but good on unique merits. I recently had a bottle of arbeg ugi and thought it had change for the worst from 2 years ago. I still think it has, but by the end of the bottle I was enjoying the flavor a lot more. It ended up being a favorite of the last 9 monthd of tasting. Take your time, experiment, finish the bottle, then draw conclusions.

Ty, me too. In my case I happened to buy Highland Park 12 and OP 12 at the same time after catching up on some of "Ralfy recommended" videos. I didn't know better about peat, so tried them both in the same session, starting with HP. And even going back and forth. Somehow this accentuated a really nasty vegetal (celery) note, which was repulsive at the time. Having come back to them separately and with my palate in better mood, HP12 is now my favorite mildly peated malt. And OP12 on most occasions comes across sweet and pleasant and older than its age. I've also given it as gift and offered it to malt newbies, always a hit. And being the cheapest 12-year old malt in my area it's become my benchmark of worth/value. That and the Speyburn 10 (both are 43% in the US). I always ask myself: would I rather buy it for $30 or some other bottle for more? I only spend more when there are compelling reasons - higher abv, no chill filtration, etc. But the main lesson is to be mindful of your palate's current "mood" and not judging by first impressions alone. Right now my least favorite malts are not those that seemed harsh initially, but those that are too plain and simple - Glenfiddich 12 and Singleton of Glendullan 12 for me. Also Tomintoul 10, but I got mine on sale, so no regrets. But wouldn't buy over Speyburn 10.

+Bertram Klein . . . Amrut is one of the best World whiskies around.

Nicolas Chausson . . . best stock-up if the quality looks like decreasing.

Slainte Mhath im not sure , but the talk is that Laph 10 CS simply comes from better casks, with some higher amount of Sherry casks involved. well the price has to be justified somewhere i guess. best to grab the 10 CS as soon as it comes out. the longer it stays in the shops , the more expensive it gets until it sells out completely.

Laphroaig 10yo CS is definetly way more flavour intense than the 40% version. But the 40% is awesome quality for the money and after all these years still my favourite everyday dram. Imho Laphroaig is still delivering serious maltiness :) I really hope they continue selling the 10yo without replacing it with this pittyful select version..

Hingle McCringleberry yeah but they are not beyond premium pricing themselves. the recently re-released 15yo at 43% costs more than their 18 at 48%.

. . . yup ! small portions of poison become medicine ! sort of homoeopathic !

. . . still to tackle this subject in detail.

+Backstab von vorne woah, not at all. Hope you enjoyed it!

How is it?

@@chagels5431 I found it as amazing as the one described in the video... almost all tasting notes are matchable to the earlier version!

Jim Kikken . . . proceed with caution, for peated whisky check out Benromach Peat Smoke or Ledaig 12yo

+Jim Kikken If you are looking for something else, I always recommend Bunnahabhain 12 years old. One of my favorite malts

Warren Devine Master of malt might have it.

InnocentLookingCardboardBox Thanks for the information

preymonkie . . . Springbank, Benromach and Glenfarclas.

***** Hopefully later this year we'll see a few more Scottish Grain reviews too. Slàinte !

. . . been there and loved every minute !

Hogibaer 50 euros. it's the lowest i have seen.

I've seen it for about €55

Hogibaer youre right. just seen it. the price has been raised at a certain online shop.

ghollisjr . . . yes, works fine if it's your personal preference, but a glass of water is a very useful companion to whisky.

***** Thanks!

ghollisjr also u wud really want the H2O to ward off th dehydration effects( headaches/hangovrs)even w/40%ers. IMHO

David Andrew . . . not initially, I want to see how it oxygenates over the next few months before sealing it with Private Preserve.

***** Hi Ralfy, how long does Private Preserve can "preserve" your whisky without adding gas again ?

. . . for years !

***** I'm surprised, I thought it only lasted a couple of days. I know that for wine it's good for maybe a week max 2.

Felix Piche I've bottles gassed for eight years plus, still intact and tasting great. Make sure your stopper cork is tight and store it someplace dark with a stable temperature around 18℃; ideally, although dark is more important.

frankg2003 Ontario has an abysmal selection for Scotch and Bourbon the same goes for British Columbia. In between Alberta has a great selection and the best prices in Canada to boot.

knarfzxc that makes no sense! sounds like the stock market where every province has their own commission. just an excuse to employ a bunch of bureaucrats in every province. let the free market work!

frankg2003 It does seem odd, but your right basically every province runs their own version of the NYSE. Alberta is the most free of all provinces, the retail and importation side has been private for 22 years although all products which private distributors import must pass through the main bonded warehouse run under contract via the provincial government. Alberta is somewhat of a Scotch and whisky test market for many N.American bound products. It's also a bit of a dumping ground for products which don't sell well or have been collecting dust in other provinces even outside of Canada too.

cannot confirm if natural colour due to lack of statement on label !

Wayfarer8, I know it's 2 years later, but check the wiki page of the Arran distillery, they own the right to label Robert Burns' name on whisky.

. . . a dud, duff, failure, mis-match.

gaaarp1 . . . verified first !

***** Woohoo! I got a mention by Mark Gillespie on WhiskyCast this week, and now a verified first! I should go play the lottery.