Benromach Sassicaia 2007

Since Benromach sent me another sample (these guys have been busy), I figured, hey, why not make it a full week of Benromach. Today we have the Benromach Sassicaia, distilled in 2007, aged in first fill bourbon barrels and finished for two years in Sassicaia wine casks. This is the latest in their Wood Finish series and the second time they've done a Sassicaia finish (the first was a 2006 vintage). It's not available in the US yet, but in the UK they are charging £40.25.

Benromach Sassicaia 2007, 45% abv

This has a nice malty nose with a hint of peat and some sweet notes. On the palate it's got peat with a slight honey sweetness and then some real savory notes in the back. It ends on a very dry note and picks up a slight soapiness in the finish.

This is a well balanced malt and one worth tasting.

Thanks to Benromach for the sample. 

Benromach Organic and Peat Smoke

The folks at Benromach recently "updated the look" of their whiskeys and sent me some samples.  I don't spend much time looking at whiskey, but I'll give them a taste.

Benromach Organic, 5 years old, 2010, 43% ($65)

The nose on this is straightforward and malty. The palate also has a pure, malty character. It's a bit diluted tasting and the finish fades quickly. While it's good whiskey, there's nothing special about it, and it's hard to recommend at $65. 

Benromach Peat Smoke, 9 years old, 2006, 46% ($60)

This has a really nice nose with lots of fuel like peat and a sort of solvent note, though not in a bad way. The palate follows up nicely with plenty of peat followed by a light sweetness. The peat is pretty steady and leads into a really spectacular finish which seems to go on forever.  This one is quite good and something I would buy.

Thanks to Benromach for the samples.

Benromach Imperial Proof

Speyside Distillery Benromach recently released a new bottling, Benromach Imperial Proof.  Bottled at 57% abv, the 10 year old Imperial Proof is the same as the Benromach 100 Proof sold overseas, but of course, 100 proof in Britain is 57% so they had to change the name for the US market.

The folks at Gordon & MacPhail, who own Benromach, sent me a sample of the new Imperial as well as the standard Benromach 10 to compare.

Benromach 10 years old, 43% abv ($50)

The nose has nice malty notes. Palate is similarly malty with sea air and coastal notes at the end and a slight soapiness on the finish. This is a solid if straightforward malt.

Benromach Imperial Proof, 10 years old, 57% abv ($80)

The nose on this one has a measure of peat and some sulfur. The palate is lightly peated with sweet, syrupy notes. The peat comes back on the finish.

The Imperial seems to be more than a higher proof version of the regular ten year old.  The regular is malt-forward whereas the ten has more peat and sulfur notes. Both are good, and it's nice to see a distillery put out a new high proof expression with an age statement.