Tastes

This bottle contains a non-chill filtered whiskey with an original color: the warm amber that flows into the glass is all nature, the result of unspecified aging (looking for it on the net reads from 3 to 15 years!) in barrels that previously contained bourbon and sherry. Being Ardbeg, there is smoke on the nose, but not as aggressive as you would expect: peat, not tarry and sweet, caramelized, with a note of red fruits. I would say the sherry feels, and has tarnished the asphalt typical of the distillery, and with the marine background (we are on Islay, isn't it?) The aromatic palette becomes soft and elegant. And despite exceeding 54%, alcohol accompanies and does not bite. Really, really a beautiful sensation, satisfying. At the first taste, here is the gradation, and how it is: warm, full, but not at all cumbersome. A small miracle. On the palate, the peat is the master, but always with the sweetness to soften the edges: caramel, red fruits, marinades in palates, a pinch of spices ... all oily, compact, structured. Where you could expect a rough distillate, you find yourself with a seductive, caressing whisky, to make you (almost) forget that later you have to drive and maybe it's better not to double it. To let it rest (and it is better to sip it very calmly), the marine note is accentuated, with a hint of medicine that is added in the background: really complex and layered. After that hour spent tasting it, the scents accompany you for a long time, feeling the palate as wrapped in a layer of softened peat and spices.

This whisky does not have the usual added coloring with caramel (which, incidentally, is used to give that air of "seasoned", and therefore of prestige, which naturally is associated with dark shades), but the refinement in Sassicaia Wine gives it however, a nice shade of intense dark gold, really inviting, which combined with the label (different and more elegant than other Benromach expressions) already predisposes to drinking. No chill-filtering, therefore a certain opacity in the liquid can be detected if drunk at colder temperatures. Poured into the glass, the red wine becomes immediately present on the nose (and it would be difficult otherwise, given the importance of the Bolgheri product), fruity notes are perceived (black grapes, of course, but also berries) and a light smoke that acts as a glue between the various aromas. Non-invasive alcohol. In the mouth the wine is felt more massively, with an accompaniment of fruity sweetness, herbaceous notes and always a pleasant substrate of smoke. Sassicaia is always there and it would like to eat everything out, but the Benromach keeps beating and keeps the harmonic structure, truly a sight. After the glass (with the usual calm, and always alternating nose and palate to fully appreciate all its nuances), the vinous and fruity flavors remain, with a hint of dryness probably due to the tannins. Remarkable.

Poured into the glass, you immediately notice a pleasant dark, caramel hue, which given the young age is perhaps due to the sherry component (the two whisky souls are joined at the end of aging, without undergoing an overall finish in one or other barrel). And on the nose the presence of sherry makes itself felt, with touches of caramel and red fruit, suffused with a light peat, more mineral than burnt (we are not on Islay, clearly), a lot of cereal (here is the bourbon), a touch of chocolate. Not invasive alcohol. To let it breathe in the glass, the salinity is accentuated, with a pleasantly moist and sweet peat, to make you almost think that you could eat it (spoiler: better not). By letting the whisky flow on the palate, the influence of the sherried cask is attenuated in favor of marine salinity, oily and almost buttery (like salted butter), peach, lemon, a pleasant tingling of spices and alcohol, wet peat. All well balanced and full-bodied, decisive, not at all accommodating and pimping: despite being ten years old, it is not exactly a malt for the first approach to the world of whiskys (but to that of Springbank it is). Finished the glass (alas, sooner or later it happens...), the salty sweetness accompanies for some time (not particularly long) together with the oily peat that caressed the palate.

A beautiful coppery color welcomes us into the glass, along with the alcohol that immediately stings the nostrils. Having overcome the alcoholic barrier (not so thick, all in all), the sweet and pungent hints of the distillate arrive: vanilla, corn, candied orange, pepper... a warm and seductive profile, which when left to breathe balances its sweetness better. On the palate, it is flooded with butter and caramel, with a very soft pasty. The alcoholic bite is there but it pushes the spicy side, while to let it breathe you still feel the vanilla, the one of pipe tobacco. Still candied fruit, in a profile that mixes adequately sweet and peppery. The finish is long, pepper and caramel.

Color of a beautiful gold (very fake, of course), the nose appears somewhat pale and ephemeral: herbaceous traits combined with fruity aromas, on a rather marked layer of sweetness. The influence of Bourbon is clear (the barrels are a mix of ex-Bourbon first fill and re-filled), but the typical Bowmore seafaring is lacking. Even the peat is struggling to emerge, very feeble. Not bad, but somewhat impersonal. In the mouth, the herbaceous notes become more salty (and thank goodness, I was worrying!), a bitterish tip appears next to vanilla and a pinch of dried fruit. Here the peat is always felt in the background, more present than the nose, but on the whole the aromas are all a little weak, just mentioned, there is not that decisive and round flavor that catches you. Easy to drink, yes, but too much. The finish leaves a little alcohol (which at 40 degrees is almost a blasphemy), peat (more than the nose and palate, funny thing) and a sweet / salty sensation, all for a rather short time.

Reporting the rich gold color appears to be insignificant given the use of caramel, always wanting to give the idea of an old and, therefore, inviting whisky. The scent is immediately coastal, strongly marine, combined with pepper, cinnamon and orange. A hint of smoke unites everything, together with a slight alcoholic tingling. In the mouth the smoke becomes more present, but always ethereal, elegant, almost more an impression of burnt peat, which is accompanied by hints of tobacco and again cinnamon and spices (pepper, even more than the nose). And the ocean becomes more present, with a sweet and salty wave full and satisfying. We are definitely not on Islay, looking for burnt turbidity here we would be very disappointing, but what is there is harmonious, structured, solid. For a basic bottling the complexity is truly remarkable. The marked spicy profile accompanies briefly after drinking, together with the marine smoke, more accentuated than on the palate.

From the black bottle (I must say more pleasant than the sister bottlings) we pour the contents, discovering a whisky with a dark amber color with reddish reflections (hello caramel!). The scent is what is expected considering the casks used: strong presence of burnt wood, vanilla, prunes and... espresso. So much espresso. For those who love it, the nose of this whisky is really tasty. And the coffee is found on the palate, accompanied by hazelnut, still dried plums, honey, vanilla, all always wrapped in burnt wood (even too much). Not particularly complex and evolved, the flavors are felt with little conviction, submerged by an idea of Islay (and a little bit of Caol Ila is felt) that almost makes you smile. After the drink, there is not much left: smoke, a touch of coffee ... all not very long lasting and fleeting.

The nose is flooded with oceanic notes, however those that have invaded an operating room: in fact the characteristic of the Laphoraig is the medicinal, pungent aspect, where the peat is still beautifully moist and saline, almost rotten, with a few touches of tar. An aroma of this type can make many people turn up their noses, even just by reading it, but lovers of peat drinks will find something to enjoy themselves. More pungent alcohol than might be expected, especially when compared with other whiskys with a more important alcohol content. On the palate, the same impressions are found, albeit more sweetened, always with that brackish sensation of seaweed, medicinal peat and spices. Everything fills the palate, but loses its bite relatively soon, perhaps due to the too well trained alcohol content (so much so that I prefer the Quarter Cask widely). After the drink, the brackish and peat notes persist, always with that hospital that remains there to try to leave you with a positive impression the next time you have to go there for real.

If you had to look at the color of the whisky, the result of so much coloring, you would say no: the final aging of 3 years in ex-Sherry casks (Amoroso, Apostoles and Matusalem Oloroso) is certainly what they want to evoke with its inviting ruby red, a parlor trick. The nose at least is consistent, immediately discovering the sherried finish in an elegant way, combined with hints of orange and ripe fruit. The waxy aroma is remarkable, just from freshly polished wood, which blends everything. Sweet but delicate. On the palate the sweetness becomes more pronounced, with caramel and fruit tart, combined with raisins and woody hints. Very sweet, perhaps even too much, to the point that at certain moments it seems to recognize cola: some more alcohol content would have perhaps made it more balanced, who knows. So instead it seems to have the handbrake pulled, ready to bloom but stuck right there (a whisky interruptus, in short). The finish is not very long, caramelized and sweet (and, yes, still with a pinch of cola).

Poured into the glass, its oiliness is already evident from the waves it leaves on the glass, which together with the dark color (thanks to the caramel coloring, which the distilleries swear on their mother to be completely tasteless) can only make it very inviting. Left to air the necessary time (the 43 degrees certainly do not require great evaporation, let alone the addition of water), the smell is caressed by the aroma of the peat, very intense and spicy, combined with marine notes and some basic sweetness. Even an untrained nose can grasp its elegance, which for a mass distribution product is a small miracle, making it pleasant to dwell on the aromas to grasp their evolution, trying to perceive every little nuance. The palate fully chases the aromas of the distillate: smoke and peat go hand in hand together with the marine notes, pursued by the sweetness and some notes of wood and leather. It seems to have almost a consistency, the oiliness seen in the glass seems perceptible even in the mouth. And these flavors remain in the mouth for a long time, leaving a persistent and very pleasant salty peat.