Benromach 40 (Batch 2 2022)

Nose: Enormous, full-bodied and enveloping velvet curtains of rum-soaked raisins, butterscotch sauce, honeycomb, golden syrup and cherry liqueur. There is just a touch of fragrant tobacco, opulent leather jacket and cinnamon brioche, and over time it gets bigger and softer. With patience you will eventually smell sandalwood and cedar. One of the best whisky noses I’ve experienced. 96/100. Palate: Intense arrival balancing exotic spices, nuts (with bitter skins on), and fruits preserved in armagnac. There is a rising dry note that surges towards peppery astringency as the ancient tannins threaten to take over, but suddenly this subsides into an enjoyable buzz that gradually becomes quite sweet and uncannily like Christmas pudding. There is not a trace of the alcohol presence and I feel no desire at all to add water. 90/100 Finish: Long. Very, very long. A fine mild cigar with a cup of sweet, slightly over-brewed Keemun tea and a pistachio baklava. 92/100. This review is based on a bottle of batch 2 of this whisky, the bottle code being 12/09/22 220257. it’s a magnificent thing that like all really great whiskies deserves an entire chapter of a book to describe its prowess. As I sit here with the last sip or two in my glass it is still evolving. This is a drama, not just a dram. Tasted at the distillery. “Truly Outstanding” : 90/100 (5 stars)