Review #12 - Benromach Peat Smoke
Peated Speysider Mini-Series: Part 2 of 3
The next entry in our series of peated Speyside single malts: the Peat Smoke bottling by Benromach. This tiny distillery has one of the smallest productions in Speyside, but they're clearly big on flavor and experimentation. Along with the Peat Smoke bottling, there are others like The Organic, vintages, peat + sherry releases, and a number of single casks.
Our bottle was released before Benromach completed its latest rebrand, so we know this is a few years old. Another interesting review might be a comparison between this release and the current year releases, but that will come another time. Right now, we want to know this - what curiosities does this malt have to offer in the increasing market of peated Speysiders?
Benromach Peat Smoke
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 75 (2021)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 70 (2023)
Age Statement: 9 Years
Strength: 46% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 7 months; bottles at 100%, 30%, and 20% fill level at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: The peat in here is quite earthy and vegetal, damp, like damp leaves in the autumn after a rain. It's slightly ashy, too, and there is a bit of funk to go along with decomposing plants, even mud, and some sweet lemon mold. Past the peat smoke, the spirit is medium, bordering on light in complexion, even a bit delicate with baked goods, some citrus from orange and lime, and a distinct green banana note. At one point, we got butterscotch and stone fruit, while another, there was a little bit of a chemical note - not acetone, but like a mildly scented cleaning solution.
Palate: Butter, butterscotch, and a medium viscosity. The peat is medium level here, and though there is a slightly lighter complexion to the spirit, there is still that damp, earthy, green funk. Flavors all over the place now: stone fruit and banana, vanilla sweetness and icing sugar, a bit of barbecue and a hint of campfire, even a dark fruit sweetness from raisin. The oak is somewhat mild and honeyed, and we finish the palate with notes of baked bread rolls, minerality, and even a hint of machine oil.
Finish: Peat stays on the tongue the longest here, but it's never too harsh, and there is a bit of a sweet and tart tickle that sneaks in later. It's a medium length finish, possibly pushing long; the spirit characteristics are poking through that smoke, and there are fruits once more, fruits like sweet honeyed apples, banana, orange, and prune extract; baking spices are here as well, just mild though, like vanilla. Oak is very oily, soft and round, and maybe earthy.
Final Note: This is definitely an unusual dram, and while there are some tasting notes in common with the previously reviewed BenRiach Smoky Ten, this bottle has a very different and distinct earthy, vegetal, green character that's hard to miss. A curiosity? Definitely. Something we would reach for often? Eh, maybe not as much. We like it, but this feels like a malt for a certain mood, or something to dive into with some time to kill.
Our Average Rating: 7.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.74
