Benromach Peat Smoke is a single malt whiskey from Scottish Speyside distillery, Benromach. It stands out from the other releases of distillery by being significantly more smoked.
Normally, Benromach is made in malt with a moderate dry level, but with this edition, which is only made to a limited extent, they have screwed the dry completely! The whiskey is tapped at 46% alcohol, without the addition of caramel color or cooling filtration.
Color: Light amber.
Fragrance: vanilla, honey, smoked bacon, apricot, tobacco and lemon peel.
Taste: Fine notes of black pepper, lots of bonfires and almonds.
Serving suggestions: should be enjoyed clean, possibly. with a drop of water.
Benromach is founded in 1898 and was one of the distilleries that had to close in 1983, where very little whiskey was drinked, and the industry laughed. But happily, Benromach restarted production in 1998, which (so far) the only thing of the many missing distilleries, turning off the boilers in the fateful year.
It was the independent bottlers, Gordon & MacPhail, who aroused Benromach to life. In 1993, they bought what was left of the distillery (a few washbacks and the empty buildings) and then spent the next 5 years renovating and installing new equipment.
Gordon & MacPhail is known for having huge amounts of old whiskey, which the company has purchased over the years, and they were uniquely asked to look their “floating library” through and trace themselves in the style of Benromach had before the closing . The new distillery was then designed, so it could best hit the old style, and you have even installed a malt grinder, which is built in 1913! In particular, it was believed that a hint of smoke was extremely important. How to tasted Speyside-Whiskey in the old days, because before the 1960s malted most distilleries themselves, and here they used both coal and peat. Their standard malt peats to 10-12 ppm, but they also make a little whiskey with a significantly stronger smoke.
Benromach is the essence of a craft distillery. It is hands-on all the way through and probably the smallest distillery in Speyside. Only 2 men are involved in the production! There are no thermometers or pressure gauges on their pot stills – you ensure that things are running as they are going with “Sound, Touch and Sight”. It’s old fashioned, but it’s great. Benromach has put the barren unreasonably high for their competitors in Speyside.
