@Jan-Case It's different here in Australia, as our population of whisky enthusiasts is much smaller, and we have far fewer specialist suppliers. Our allocations are also small so it's not unusual for something desirable to disappear very quickly (the Springbank allocation is often mostly sold out the day it arrives). On the other hand you can sometimes come across dusty bottles in a shop where they have gone unnoticed long after they have become rare as hen's teeth in other countries. Benromach is a bit on the borderline but I know that the 15 is getting hard to find. As for Highland Park, good luck finding anything pre-viking design out here now, and if you can it will be expensive.

@cascode I agree. Design is always subjective to some extend and there never is a perfect solution. And to what I experienced over the last two years - even „old“ bottles of popular whiskies (Benromach included) will be around for years to come. The whisky store I go to still has lots of old designs of a variety of brands in stock (including the pre-viking Highland Park). And that I see around most stores. Also in a lot of online stores you can get old bottles too. I just got a BenRiach bottle that came in a design that was renewed and replaced more then 5 years ago.

@Jan-Case It would be a boring old world if we all thought the same way. I thought it was amusing that you held off buying until the new design bottles were available, because I did exactly the opposite! The day I saw the industry press release showing the new bottles and labels I sought out and purchased two bottles of the 15 year old in the old livery. In total that gives me 7 bottles of Benromach in the stash so with any luck that will see me through until they learn the error of their ways and change back to the old designs 😋 (just kidding).

@AntonioSchmid My trusty tasting journal tells me that I’ve tried four of the Peat Smoke expressions (2004 [reviewed here on Distiller], 2005, 2007 & 2008) and I’ve rated them all 3.75 or 4. I also have the 2010 cask-strength sherry-finished peat smoke bottling but have not opened it yet. They all have the same smoky profile you get from the 10 year old but turned up quite a few notches. It’s not a briny maritime peat like a lot of Islays – much more bonfire wood smoke, and not a million miles away from Springbank-style peating. I like them a lot, but then I like everything Benromach does.

I personally really like the new design and actually waited to buy my bottles after they were available in the new design. From the standpoint of me being a designer it is somehow obvious for marketing and identity reasons. I think Benromach is planing on a bigger expansion to the international especially the US market while also attracting a younger whisky audience (like me). They achieve that by streamlining the brand with a much easier to grasp communication that feels more mature and serious. I really didn’t like the old design. Yes, it was unique but for me personally it didn’t communicate their taste and style. The old design was more organic and playful which felt like it being more a botanical spirit and not a strong and intense classical whisky experience.

@cascode maybe they changed it to save money in the marketing department. Change the label, one last advertising push, then cut the department down to bring down cost on the bottle price. Especially with the IS tariffs and the pandemic...

Thanks everyone for the kind words. @cascode It’s beyond me why they would change such a classy bottle for the plain ugly new design. Probably cheaper, there’s no other reasonable explanation. Have everyone tried their Peat Smoke? How does it compare?

@AntonioSchmid Great comments, and interestingly I get a hint of similarity between this and some the west coast highland whiskies, including Ben Nevis and Talisker. It's a very "hand-made" old-school style. The only thing I don't like is the new bottle and label design, which is 100% style-free and looks like it took all of 2 minutes to create. The old design was unique and elegant - the new one makes it look like a cheap bottom-shelf blend.

Yeah - nice review - liked the 10 immensely as well and the 15 I got just recently (haven’t out a review yet) is even better. Important to note is that Benromach (which belongs to Gordon & Macphail) is only using first fill casks which to no surprise adds a lot to it.

Nice review. Sounds a lot like Highland Park 12 used to be years ago. May have to track this one down.

Just gotta sneak Laphroaig 10/10 CS onto this list... Gotta give this one a try! Nicely reviewed