Tastes

Nose: Relaxed, mild smoke with a flowery fragrance and a hint of citrus. It’s like a blend of peat, rose petals and lemon blossoms. No sulphur, a smidge of vanilla and some very fresh oak aromas. With water the smoke gains sweetness. Palate: Sweet, fruity smoke pours onto the palate when tasted neat. It makes the mouth water with crisp citrus and light smoke but you can tell the palate is locked tight behind the alcohol. It’s only when it is watered that this truly shines. The palate then becomes almost alive with luscious orange and lemon flavours intertwined with sweet smoke. The texture, which is oily when neat, becomes deliciously creamy when watered. This is pretty close to a perfect smoky palate for me. Finish: Medium/Long: Lemon fading into the distance. An unusual, but delightful, distillery exclusive that does not smell anything like 19 years old, but neither is it young or brash. It’s curiously light and lively and the level of peat is still strong, but very elegant. This is like a refined version of the classic 15 year old. Neither the nose nor palate are particularly complex, but what they do have is perfectly presented. This is not a symphony, it’s a composition of few elements executed perfectly, like a Liszt prelude or a Mondrian. Distilled on 17/05/2004 and bottled on 01/08/2023 (bottle code 230200), cask #358 (a virgin oak cask) produced just 279 bottles of this nectar. This is the best Benromach I have tasted to date and it fully deserves a high rating. If you visit the distillery (which is the only way to experience it) make sure you have a taste. “Excellent” : 89/100 (4.75 stars)

Nose: Subtle peat smoke, like pipe tobacco. Citrus oils, stone fruits, vanilla, brown sugar and leather. With water more citrus comes forward but the smoke is further suppressed, and overall the nose becomes more rounded and balanced. Over time the smoke reasserts itself. Palate: Dry arrival with lots of spices, pepper, salt and orange oil. A hint of smoke. Water sweetens the arrival a little and makes the spice notes less spiky (more like cooked curry spices rather than fresh) however it also introduces an astringent sourness. The texture is good but not remarkable. Finish: Long. Drying. Some preserved ginger and orange marmalade. This is the more elegant and aloof older brother of the 15 year old but it does not have the heft and gravitas of the younger malt. The 15 definitely presents as “bigger” and is notably more smoky, and for me it is simply more fun. Like most smoky whiskies, at around 18 years of age Benromach starts to noticeably lose pungency, and given the particularly fine, warm and soothing nature of Benromach peating I see that as an overall negative. This is a fine malt but I do not feel tempted to buy it. Tasted at the distillery. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Immediately full and commanding. Fresh and preserved tropical fruits, roasted nuts, leather car seats, a hint of smoked tea, treacle toffee, crème caramel, stewed stone fruits and a touch of orange oil. Lovely. 9/10 Palate: Luscious and seductive from the first drop, the oily texture carries flavours of grilled tropical fruit, chocolate mole, butterscotch sauce and oatmeal biscuits but all the rich sweetness is perfectly balanced by a delicate melange of spices. There is a meaty quality to this malt but it’s not a barbecue presence, more like Cumberland sauce suggesting the presence of red meat laced with fruit. 8/10 Finish: Long. Oily, slightly drying and delightfully grubby with the dark tropical, almost rum-like notes persisting. 8.5/10 A stunner. I have not tried this previously, due to the cost, but when I found a bar-pour at the Aberfeldy distillery it just had to be done … and now I want a bottle. This is like all the best parts of an old vintage Balblair crossed with a light, fruity-style Mortlach. Lovely whisky, if you can afford it then just buy a bottle and enjoy. Everything produced by Craigellachie is worth tasting, but this is the best of their lineup that I have so far tried. Tasted as a 30ml pour at a distillery bar. “Excellent” : 89/100 (4.75 stars)

Nose: Balsa wood, pencil shavings, sandalwood, vanilla, cornflakes. Water makes the nose more “grainy” and cereal in character. Palate: The arrival is reminiscent of pine-tree resin but rather than being bitter it is curiously sweet and creamy. I guess it’s a little toffee-ish but the bright cereal and wood notes keep the sweetness in check. Adding water is not a good idea as it unleashes bitterness. Finish: Short. Cereal and light wood, sour if watered. This “Table Whisky” (as Port of Leith calls it) is a single grain sourced from the massive North British distillery in Edinburgh and is matured in virgin oak and oloroso sherry casks. The maturation is, however, clearly minimal and I’d be surprised if this is any more than 4 or 5 years old. The distillery is making this a virtue by focusing on the crisp, youthful character of the spirit and promoting it as an everyday dram for casual consumption. It’s OK but not something I would recommend as anything other than a curiosity. It is clearly a stop-gap product to hold the fort until Port of Leith has their own single malt ready, and when that day comes I expect this whisky will be quietly dropped from their range. Tasted at the distillery. “Average” : 77/100 (2.5 stars)

Nose: Honeyed fruit with a slight sulphur/camphor stain, however a drop or two of water diminishes this. Palate: Full texture with honey, brine and ginger spice. Some dusty oakiness from the cask but it’s too light to be fully sherry-cask matured. Finish: Medium/Long. A little bitter towards the finale. A quick-hit review of the current cask-strength Aberfeldy that is part of the tour flight. It’s interesting and unmistakably Aberfeldy dialled up to 11, but it’s not the most subtle of drams. Something similar to this is always on the tasting mat for their tours, but in my opinion the OB 21 year old is a better malt. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Mild peat, citrus. 7/10. Palate: It arrives dry, and this character persists throughout the palate. Spicy, hot ginger, black pepper, mild smokiness and a strong briny note in the later palate. 4/10. Finish: Medium/Short. All peated whiskies have a good degree of persistence but in this case there is not much else contributing length. Cereal trailing to sour mash. 4/10. “Soft/Dry” is a standard polarity for whisky, but this spirit goes beyond dry into a profile I would describe as distinctively “Hard” with sour and briny notes competing against hot spices. It’s not what I would call a friendly or particularly impressive whisky and despite being 7-8 years old (apparently) it tastes very young and undisciplined. The nose is the best aspect by far and if the palate and finish were equivalent I’d be giving this 3.5 stars. Sadly, this is not the case. However, to be fair, it was hard to review this whisky properly as the distillery only gives you a tiny tasting sample in a plastic shot glass, and I’m sure I missed a lot of nuance. They really need to invest in proper tasting glasses and provide a better tasting environment. Selling samples in 50ml and 200ml bottles in addition to the full bottles would also be a good idea. I will give this another try some time, as I have a feeling it is better than my first impression indicates. “Average” : 76/100 (2.5 stars)

Nose: Light floral and honey aromas with a little malt in the background. A touch of brine but it’s primarily sweet. Palate: Initially dry but quickly gaining sweetness. The predominant flavour is light cereal but there is an ethanol presence as well. Finish: Fast and short. Cereal flavours that quickly fade into ethanol. The Port of Leith distillery is located in Leith, a northern suburb of Edinburgh, literally right on the water in a re-developed industrial and docklands area. It is highly unusual as it is one of the only “vertical” distilleries I have ever seen. This design is partly due to limited space in what is a very expensive area, and partly due to the company’s determination to be energy efficient. All distilleries depend on moving large quantities of material through the plant constantly and this usually requires a lot of energy. Port of Leith went for a vertical (8 story high) design in other to use gravity for as much material transport as possible. They only ran their first new-make a few months ago so it will be years until they have “whisky” for sale, but in the meantime they are giving tastings of their new make, which is undergoing a lot of experimentation. The version I tasted was fermented with Voss Kviek yeast but if you visit it is possible you will try something else. We also tasted a new-make that was fermented using a strain of yeast called “BE-256” and it was quite different, with a much more cereal character and comparatively little sweetness. The sample I tried was a little like new-make cut with vodka, which I think was due to it being reduced to 40% abv. Previous new makes I’ve tasted from other distilleries have been at still strength, or just slightly reduced, so in comparison this seemed simpler but it was very palatable and drinkable neat. I think Port of Leith has a great future and I look forward to trying their whisky when it is finally released. Their guided tour is also one of the best I have attended, and it is the only way to sample the new-make, so if you are in Edinburgh do not pass up the opportunity. Tasted as part of a distillery tour. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)