.benromach - peat smoke - 2005-2014

A Speyside distillery producing a peated whisky is not unheard of, but not common practice either. At 67ppm of phenols, she is a feisty one at that, fully matured in first fill ex-Bourbon barrels, distilled in 2005 and bottled in 2014.

46% abv, €38, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: smoke, sweet, vanilla, marshmallows, honey, caramelized apples, red fruit, raspberries

Palate: feisty, smoke, sweet, honey, liquorice, star-anise, fruit, apples, peaches

Finish: medium long, rather dry, slight tannins, fruit, pink grapefruit
Mark: ++++/+ 

Conclusion: Wonderful. I am quite the peat-head, but this has layers and layers of more beautiful tones as your average Islay whisky. The distinctive sweet and fruity notes you get from Benromachs are still very present underneath the peat. I would certainly recommend a bottle of this in any whisky cabinet, including our own. I am becoming a fan of these recent Benromach bottlings...

A sample for reviewing was kindly sent to us by Benromach