Benromach distillery isn’t one of the most widely known or seen single malts. But that’s changing. And fast…
Benromach is one of the very few distilleries to have a happy ending after the misery of the industry-wide distillery closures in the mid-1980’s. Originally founded in 1898, by 1983 Benromach was part of the DCL (today’s Diageo) and it was one of eight distilleries closed down by DCL that year as a result of the downturn and economic woes of the time. Of those eight DCL distilleries that closed that year, Benromach is the only one to remain alive and operating today. The other seven are lost forever, including Dallas Dhu, which is now a museum. But, of course, a bit of action played out in the meantime…
While still closed and dormant in 1992, DCL – which had since become United Distillers, after being acquired by Guinness, who then merged it with sister subsidiary, Arthur Bell & Sons – sold Benromach to Gordon & MacPhail. Most of the distillery plant had been dismantled in 1983, and Gordon MacPhail effectively purchased an empty stillhouse and some warehouses of aging stock. A restoration project of considerable scale was required, including the installation of new stills – in fact, the only original elements left remaining were the washbacks! Like any modern distillery refurbishment these days, it was also a big task to bring the distillery into line with current energy and environmental requirements. It would be six years until Gordon & MacPhail got the distillery ship-shape again, but it was a happy day in 1998 when the distillery was officially re-opened.
Gordon & MacPhail, of course, were no strangers to the industry, having opened their first shop in 1895 and subsequently going on to become one of the world’s oldest and most widely recognised independent bottlers. When they acquired Benromach, their aim was to produce a pre-1960’s Speyside malt…..which is a romantic way of saying they intended to use a more heavily peated malt than is the custom on Speyside these days! (To give some context to that sentence, most distilleries in Speyside today typically use malt that is peated to around 3ppm. Benromach’s standard malt these days is peated to 10-12ppm).
For those that appreciate the facts and figures on production, Benromach is currently producing around 250,000 pure litres of alcohol per year – which is a drop in the well compared to the majority on Speyside that churn out between two and four million, or the giants that produce over 10 million litres. Production is currently five days each week, working with three tonnes of barley per day. There are two shifts and thus 10 mashes per week. Each mash uses 1.5 tonnes of malt, producing 7,550 litres of wort which is filled into one of the four larch washbacks. The short fermentations are 56 hours, stretching out to 105 hour long ferments over the weekends. The stills have a maximum capacity of 9,000 litres and feature an unusually long (six metres!) horizontal lyne arm. The spirit still is charged to 5,000 litres, which consists of 3,000 litres from the wash still and 2,000 litres of feints & foreshots from the previous distillation runs. The foreshots run takes roughly 20 minutes, and then spirit is collected from 74% down to 60.8%.
(Click on the images to enlarge)
Here in Australia, Benromach flew under the radar of most whisky enthusiasts until 2005. Gordon & MacPhail’s own Michael Urquhart came out for the Australian Malt Whisky Convention in Sydney that year, showcasing a number of Benromach offerings at one of the featured masterclasses. One of the more interesting expressions launched in Australia that year was Benromach Organic – one of the very first commercially available whiskies to be matured in virgin wood and to carry the organic certification.
Fast forward a few years, and Benromach is now more widely available in Australia, thanks to the efforts of its energetic and enthusiastic distributor, Alba Whisky. It’s been 16 years since the new owners first started distilling again, and thus there is now a healthy inventory of matured casks to draw upon for their portfolio. (Bear in mind that the distillery was silent for 15 years from 1983 until 1998, and so available stock now is either 16 years and younger, or 31 years and older!) And they’ve widened their portfolio further by producing some heavily peated variants. In fact, on my most recent trip to Scotland last year, the Benromach “Peat Smoke” (proudly displaying 67ppm on the label) was one of the revelations of my travels!
And so, for Australian drinkers keen to check out this little jewel of Speyside, what’s available and how does it taste? The 10yo expression first caught some local attention here at the Australian Malt Whisky Convention in Adelaide in 2013. Derek Hancock, Associate Director in charge of exports at Gordon & MacPhail, remarked to me at the time that it had “probably the most distinguished and expensive cask regime of any 10yo in Scotland”. And he wasn’t wrong: 80% of the spirit is matured in 1st fill American oak casks from Jack Daniels. The other 20% is filled into sherry butts. Both spend nine years in their respective casks until being married together for a final year in oloroso casks. The results speak for themselves – you get all the lovely vanilla, sweetness, toasty, and citrus notes from the JD barrels, as well as the spice and fruit from the sherry.
One of the new expressions that’s made some big waves overseas is the recently released 10yo “100o Proof” and, courtesy of Alba Whisky, I recently had the privilege of sampling and comparing the new 100o Proof against the regular 10yo. To the uninitiated, it can be tempting to dismiss such comparisons as merely tasting the same spirit at 43% and 57% ABV respectively. But such thinking misses the point. Distillation is the art of making flavoured alcohol, and thus the more alcohol, the more flavour! And whilst the regular 10yo receives only a light degree of chill-filtering, it is chill-filtered nonetheless, and so the new 100o Proof expression, sans chill-filtration, offers all the original goodness, texture, and mouthfeel.
I have before me two glasses – one filled with the regular 10yo, and the other with the new 100o Proof. How do they compare?
Colour:
Who cares? (But, for the record, and as you’d expect, the 100o Proof is marginally darker. Good to see there’s been no mucking around with caramel to make the two identical in colour).
Nose:
The 10yo sings. It’s bright, vibrant, seemingly light on the surface, but carries an enormous undercurrent of deep aromas and suggestive scents. There are hints of banana, honey on buttered toast, some pine sap, and soft, chewable toffee. After five minutes or so and a bit of breathing (the whisky, not me!), a delicious scent of maple syrup on waffles begins to waft out of the glass. Returning to the nose after having taken a sip or three, there are wonderful notes of hay, straw, and malt. And, 10 minutes after being poured and having taken sips down to a near-empty glass, you actually get some soft smokiness!
In comparison, the 100o Proof seems a bit more weighed down. It’s heavier and slightly more brooding. If the 10yo was a bowl of light cereal, then the 100o Proof is heavy bowl of porridge. The depth and contribution of sherry seems much more evident in the 100o Proof, and there’s a delicious hint of dark chocolate-covered honeycomb.
Palate:
The 10yo exhibits that classic, cereal-like, malty, Speyside palate that is so desirable, and yet often gets overlooked by whisky fans as they go off in search of whiskies that are ever more heavily peated or cloaked in sherry. This is “just right” and is delightful to either sip and contemplate, or to quaff and glug. Best of all, those extra few ppm of peaty phenols are evident, giving this an added dimension of earthiness.
The 100o Proof carries a bit more spice – almost like the spice of a rye whisky when compared to a bourbon. The contribution of oak seems more evident, giving the illusion that this is actually a few years older than it really is. Again, I find a link to porridge, with a good sprinkling of brown sugar giving the desired sweetness. As you’d hope and expect, the 100o Proof has a heavier, and slightly oilier mouthfeel.
Finish:
It would be too easy to assert that the 100o Proof has a bigger and longer finish. That’s just the ethanol speaking. But, after the ethanol has evaporated and been accounted for, the 100o Proof leaves a drier footprint and a wider spectrum of malty, oaky flavours.
Comments:
It’s no secret that I’m an advocate for cask-strength whisky. I went into this comparison expecting the 100o Proof to come out head and shoulders on top. And yet, in all honesty, I struggled to split these two and declare one a clear winner. And, in my opinion, I put that down to the sheer quality and craftsmanship of the 10yo. It’s such a good dram in its own right, it doesn’t need the extra punch of cask-strength goodness to make up for any shortcomings. But don’t misunderstand my sentiments here – I’m not suggesting for a nanosecond that the 100o Proof failed to overshadow above its sibling. It did everything I would hope for from a cask strength malt. I deliberately chose not to add water in my clinical comparison (in such a line-up, what would be the point?), but after the scores were tallied and the notebook put away, I poured a fresh dram of 100o Proof and added a few drops of H2O. The resulting nose transported me straight to a malt barn, or perhaps even straight into the dunnage warehouse. The palate retained that same sherry and rye-like spice, yet was more rounded and softer. To get the best out of the 100o Proof, I’d suggest adding just a drop of water (not as much as a splash!) and you’ve got one helluva dram.
Benromach is located at the very top of Speyside, about a 20 minute drive west of Elgin. The distillery has a visitor centre that conducts tours, and is well worth a visit. And, closer to home, you’ll find Benromach in the better-stocked independent bottle shops, as well as in the chains. The range available locally is widening and, in addition to the 10yo, Aussies can now source the Sassicaia Wood Finish, the Organic, the Origins range, and the mightily impressive Peat Smoke. Go and check out this little jewel of Speyside.
Cheers,
AD
