Crackling Pork Wrapped in Vanilla

Whisky: Benromach 10 year old

Distillery:
Benromach

Bottling:

Benromach 10 year old

Region:
Speyside

ABV:
43%

Colour:

Young Sauternes

Review:
Still hunting for the perfect summer whisky in preparation of the upcoming hot summer months or as I like to call it "when the land bursts into flame and I melt"

Today was a long day at work, full of whisky meetings and beer tastings (yeah I know my life is very difficult) and so I thought I'd crack open another Benromach, but this time I thought I'd go with an age statement, in this case the 10 year old.

Now going in I have no idea what this whisky is going to be like.  Yes I visited the distillery in May, but of the whiskies that we sampled, we didn't get a chance to try the 10 year old. 

So I was a little, only a little surprised, when upon cracking the seal I immediately discovered that this whisky, even thought it is a Speyside, was peated.

I say that I was only a little surprised as I know that Benromach does like to play with Speyside peat from time to time in their whiskies, I know this as I've got a bottle of their Peat Smoke in my cabinet.

So as I unwind I sit on Youtube, listening to different songs on my playlist, just nosing the glencairn, curious as to what will appear.

Well first off there is the smoke, but not the harsh oh so delicious Islay style smoke, but a softer kind, almost fruity at times, vanilla, green apples, grassy hay, dark chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon, some mint, and as I quietly sit here listening to music, some very faint crackling pork belly.

COOL!

The meat totally comes out of left field and winds up developing around 90 minutes of the whisky sitting in the glencairn, but makes the entire experience extra special.  Now that I can smell it, I can't help, but not smell it!

But after 90 minutes or so I feel like I've gotten as much out of the nose as I can, so it's tasting time!

Slightly creamy, and while the 43% abv isn't optimal, it carries itself nicely.  Slight phenols, but again very mild, nothing like an Islay whisky, soft smoke, fruit, raspberries and strawberries, grass, little earthy.

Not a bad little whisky and definitely different from your normal Speysides.

A long finish with dark chocolate, some smoke and then faint apples and vanilla end the dram.

Running at roughly $75 to $85 AUS which is I'd say a fair price for an interesting little entry level Speyside that is not something most people think of when they think Speyside.  If you get a chance to try a nip of this, definitely don't hesitate!

Nose:        24/25
Taste:        22/25
Finish:       20/25
Balance:    20/25

Overall:     86/100