Benromach 2007 Hermitage Wood Finish (2016)
Benromach finishes some of its whisky, and I’m still not sure what to think of it. When you have such a good core range of the 10 year old, 100 proof and 15 year old (and even the 5 year old), why mess with it? The Sassicaia Wood Finish is nice for example, but doesn’t really add anything. Ugh, why am I acting so grumpy? Let’s start over 🙂
Hooray! A new release from Benromach, my favourite distillery! (Better, right?) It’s another addition to their Wood Finish-range. In this case the Hermitage Wood Finish. It’s the fourth time Benromach has used Hermitage casks, a red wine from the northern Rhône region of France. After six years in ex-bourbon casks, the whisky was finished for a total of 31 months. Now that’s an impressive amount of time.
Benromach 2007 Hermitage Wood Finish (45%, OB)
Nose: The first I notice is a subtle wood smoke with a bit too much sulphur (slightly burnt), which throws it a bit off-balance. Cinnamon and blueberries, slightly acidic. A hint of vanilla and lime. Interesting.
Taste: Oily, nice! Cherry syrup, plums, milk chocolate, raspberries. Slightly spicy (cloves). Very rich in flavour. The subtle Benromach-peat smoke pops in right at the end.
Finish: Lightly peated, ending on a sweet note. Some tannins.
Rating: 84
I have to deduct a couple of points here for the sulphur, but the palate is top notch. If not for the slightly burnt edge it has on the nose, this would’ve been a really succesful finish.
Sample provided by Benromach
Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.
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