Benromach Cask Strength Vintage 2007 (Batch 1)

Nutty, young oak and barley nose. Rich barley sugar, seasoned oak, burnt sugar, peppercorns and candied ginger all wrapped in a dab of peat. Dense and delicious. Long, warming finish.

Rich flavor with a hint of peat, smoke,vanilla and spices. I actually like this straight with no ice or water drops added.

I've very much enjoyed Benromach 10 in the past, so when I saw this Cask Strength version available for $40 at the local bottle shop, it was an instant buy. This is nearly 58% with a lot of sherry cask influence and peat. There is a strong, leathery sherry note on the nose, along with some musty peat. The palate has some sweet orange blossom, the peat recedes a bit and the leathery sherry steps up. Unfortunately the finish is a bit peppery and bitter and I want to wash it away with a sip of water. Overall I think this is less than the sum of its parts, but I've found that water can really help dial this one in. I've had different experiences depending on the amount of water and think that perhaps a balance exists here. But for now, it gets a slightly lower rating. One edited note - the next day, the glass smells exactly like pancake syrup. If there was more of that in this dram I'd be over the moon.

Rating: 16/23 N: This might need a few minutes. I'm getting hints of toasted grain with roasted pork loin coated in salt and black pepper. A bit of that dry Benromach smoke starts coming out, but it isn't too strong. The faintest oily nuttiness that makes me think of Oloroso and if you can somehow imagine an even much fainter cherry and an even fainter lemon, then you can imagine some fruit being present. A little wood starts coming out and it has some complexity with mild vanilla coming first, then a sprinkling of cinnamon mixed with a small amount of other baking spices. There's a hint of sort of a vegetal tar in here mixing with the smoke, but not too much of it. P: This is full, but what do you expect at this proof? It starts fairly rich with some sweetness, but as it progresses the smoke takes over and it gets hotter. Late in the palate, some oiliness comes out. The initial sweetness is fruit, with cherry moving increasingly toward a kind of herbal PX funk as the smoke merges in. There are initially spices as well, with cinnamon being the main one, then black pepper with clove and ginger. It's pretty nice actually. The full saga (well, a pretty darn short saga) over the course of the palate is challenging, but it is a solid smoky scotch for those who like drams like Ardbeg. F: Loads of smoke. It's oily. Occasional hints of cherry sweetness. Otherwise, this is mostly just a very smoky finish. - Conclusion - Bold flavor with sherry sweetness. Smoky for sure, but there's other stuff going on. This is a great profile to consider as an alternative to an Islay scotch. It's certainly not the most complex, but it's tasty in a way that can satisfy that craving. That said, I just tried it side by side with Ardbeg 10 (16/23) and this just doesn't have that same amount of nuance to it. This has more of a dry bitterness flavor that borders on barbecue. Complexity does gradually come out here, but it's not really as tasty. If I had to pick now, I'd give this a 15. Yeah, this has some pretty ashy smoke with Oloroso and PX. It's a weird combo. I definitely can't see this pushing past a 15. Old Pulteney 12 (14/23) is maltier and oilier with more dirty still flavor. Its flavors are a bit more muddled as well, but their balance is better. The sherry and spices that this has are nice though. The smoke is a bit too ashy. I'm inclined to give the nod to this based on it being less muddled. As for Benromach Peat Smoke 2006, I like the fullness and richness here. If this is older, I doubt that it is by much, but the Benromach Peat Smoke tastes more like an immature Islay scotch, a lot like Kilchoman (with a little Laphroaig to it). Were it not for the sherry, this would absolutely not be on the same level as Ardbeg 10. As it is, the sherry reminds me enough of Ardbeg Uigeadail to let me bump this up from a 15 to a 16. There's more sherry in here than in the Uigeadail (especially PX), but I like the fruitiness and funk. Heavy smoke is a case where PX can really work well, I guess. Thank you, @ctbeck11 , for this sample!