Benromach 12 Year Old Review

Jura, Laphroaig and Edradour are all releasing better presented whiskies and now the already well loved Benromach has joined in.

The new Benromach 12 Year Old is a 46% ABV single malt with natural colour and no chill filtration and has an RRP of £45 in the UK. That sits around the same price as whiskies such as GlenAllachie 12, Glencadam 10, Arran 10 and Glen Scotia 12.

The Benromach 12 Year Old is exclusively matured in first fill European Oloroso sherry casks using both first fill European Oloroso sherry butts and first fill European Oloroso sherry hogsheads. By using some larger butts it aims to slow the maturation down to retain the Benromach spirit.

Benromach 12 Tasting Notes:

The nose is immediately jammy and fruity. Cola Cubes and plenty of Christmas character. There are fruit cake notes, gingerbread and a good amount of smoke on the nose.

There is also a funky side to the whisky. I get earthy, farmy and rubbery notes alongside herbs, nuts and dark chocolate. It is a wonderfully dirty whisky while avoiding those sulphuric notes.

On the palate, the first thing that stands out is the texture. It is oily and rich straight away. Proper Benromach.

There is plenty of juicy fruit, Tangfastics and chalky lollipop sweetness. Then come savoury and nutty flavours with a touch of spice and the smoke is more charred wood than heavy peat smoke.

As the whisky opens up, the fruit becomes more obvious. I get raspberries, oranges and limes alongside warm apple pie, fruit cake, blackberries, smoked pears and apricots. It is farmy, oily and funky, but there is also a freshness to it.

The closest comparison for me is Springbank 15. Both have that dirty sherry character and oily texture.

The New Bernomach Line Up

The new Benromach 12 Year Old fits nicely into the existing range, it is much deeper than the Benromach 10 and rougher and funkier than the Benromach 15 Year Old. This makes Benromach 12 Year Old a really interesting middle ground for whisky enthusiasts with the higher specifications. Following this it will be interesting to see how the brand continues on this enthusiast path.

At £45, I think the Benromach 12 Year Old is very fairly priced. For that money you are getting a 12 year old single malt at 46% ABV with natural colour and no chill filtration.

Watch the full video review of Benromach 12 here

NOTE: I was planning to buy a bottle after trying the sample however Benromach kindly sent me this early bottle. Once this bottle has been enjoyed and shared, I would happily replace it at the £45 price point.