You don’t often see independent bottlings of Benromach. Gordon & MacPhail (the company that owns Benromach) is very protective of their brand, and aren’t looking to sell to independent bottlers. Cadenhead has done a 1976 vintage that was bottled earlier this year. But the one before that (at least according to Whiskybase) is a Benromach 1999 from the Creative Whisky Company. As far as I could find out, those are the only two since 2005.
Benromach 1999/2011 (55,2%, Creative Whisky Company, C# 514)
Nose: Campfire and barbeque smoke, grilled meat. Some cane sugar with dark, almost burned caramel and red beets. It also has a briny quality.
Taste: An oily spirit. Peaty and vegetal with sweet brown sugar and caramelized beets.
Finish: Warming and smoky, with some veggies even.
Rating: 82
A decent enough whisky, but there’s something lacking here. Not enough subtlety maybe. I would still buy it if by some miracle I’d see it somewhere, but that’s more because of my preference for Benromach and the fact that an indy bottling is a rarity.
