Nose: Orange juice, apple juice, apricot, beeswax, turmeric, old leather-bound books in a waxed bookshelf, cedar wood cigar box, fragrant unburnt pipe tobacco. Over time you notice a smoky or ashen note but this is not a peated whisky and the fragrance is of old, old wood char. With water the nose explodes with orange oils. Palate: Crisp dry arrival that is way more like fino sherry than oloroso, and somewhat unexpected given the nose. The flavours match the aroma in lightness of character but not in sweetness. Orange marmalade, roasted almonds with the skins on, wood resin, bitter dark chocolate. The texture is good and just slightly oily. Water makes the palate very soft and approachable. Finish: Medium. Peanut skins, old oak, dry sherry. A very fine old whisky that avoids the pitfall of a heavy oloroso sherry character. It is light, crisp and completely unlike anything currently made by Benromach (this dates from the era prior to Gordon & Macphail’s resurrection of the distillery and the use of lightly peated malt). It is also unlike just about every other 30+ year single malt I have tasted. I went to the distillery and did their “Heritage” tour specifically because I knew that this whisky was on offer as part of the after-tour tasting. I was expecting a lot, and was not disappointed. Highly recommend if you have absurdly deep pockets. Otherwise take a few days off, fly to Speyside and taste a dram at the distillery. It will cost about the same, probably less. “Excellent” : 89/100 (4.75 stars)