Nose: Distinct sherry influence is the first thing I perceive. Raspberries, red gooseberries and dark chocolate. The alcohol is very well integrated and leaves a slightly cooling effect. Spicy aromas rise from the glass with some time. Freshly ground black pepper and clove most likely. I also have the association with green cucumber in my head. With a little water, the aromas are sweeter and pleasantly soft. Some sulfur in the form of fermented fruits (kombucha) comes through. Fits very well for me. The smoke is noticeable, but with much understatement and as a supporting role. With a little more time in the glass, dried apricots are added.

Taste: The almost 58 percent by volume show their power when they hit the tongue. Less sweet than the nose can expect is the malt on the tongue. Again, there are red fruits in the direction of wild berries and ripe red apples, which bring a pleasant fruitiness. On the palate, I now discover juice oranges and caramel. The chocolate is back with about 70% cocoa content of the party. The smoke is more present than in the nose; the cucumber disappeared. Water and some time tame the malt and help the malt to develop. Everything gets a bit more intense and softer.

Finish: Very long for the age. Warming and full to the last second. Here Benromach can shine again. Hardly bitter notes but the same pleasant fruits and chocolate as in the nose and on the tongue now in the finish. Some oak spice echoes.

Conclusion: If I could get a 15-year-old Benromach with the departure of this powerful representative of the distillery, that would be exactly my thing. So I would give the 15-year-old preference. Nevertheless, this bottling is very successful for me. Benromach shows with this bottling that even relatively young whiskys can be quite complex. Only the slight note of sulfur, which comes up with the addition of water in the nose, could be called a criticism. She does not bother me here. The price of the bottling is in my opinion with about 60 € very attractive. Nice thing!

N: Waxy cinnamon, tropical fruit jam, flax seed, molasses, toasted buckwheat, faint farmy cow farts and wet mud, bluegrass sap, cashew, gingery peat.

P: Dark chocolate, citrus, vanilla pod, caramel, cinnamon, mace, dried fruits like yellow raisins and dates, gun powder, Brazil nut. Intertwined among these lovelies comes a draft of the Smoky God, courtesy of this whisky's Speyside peat.

I'm reminded of Balvenie's Peat Week, just a little. I like the impish tingle on my tongue at cask strength. This said, I'm still going to down the fire just a bit, even though it is quite palatable at full strength and I might prefer it that way on another occasion.

For example, if I go all day on a Saturday being henpecked by my wife, then I will take this whisky at full strength for sure in the evening, when I find a spare moment to escape from the tongue-lashing.

Finish: Medium-long with the peat and some tannins coming through, along with a swirling hint of date, nut meat, and vanilla pod. Altogether, this makes for a rich and rewarding departure of the spirit's essence, caught as 'tis within the watery tissues of one's mouth.

Early bottlings (especially the first) had older whisky in the batches, I think. Yes, for sure. Newer bottlings are more precise, however. Benromach has this one down to a "mad" science, ha! This said, there was a give and take to the early old skool bottling, for it had an off-cask (a bit moldy) that got into the run and muddled things up a bit. Not so with the newer batches.

The older 100 proof tasted more like Campbeltown than this one does. That one was a bit overblown in terms of its fan fair, I think. This one is less vintage tasting. By vintage, I'm talking about whisky from the 80's and 90's, which I remember well, and which I still own. This one's a solid choice but don't pay too much for a bottle.

IMO, the weaker 10 year at 43 percent is not bad. I prefer this CS version, but still. I feel that the 43 used to have some different casks. Not sure if it still does. A few years back, it wasn't just a watered down version of the CS. The 43 made a respectable gift to a person who enjoyed an occasional glass of whisky and wasn't like us (finatics ;).

Don't forget to experiment with water if you get this one. It's not bad at cask strength but a few drops will bring out more wonders for the nose and palate.

I'm a big fan of late 1980's style whisky, and so I miss the old 100 Proof, which I gave an "88" score. It was indeed more "old skool." I did find that the very first batch had an errant cask, but subsequent ones did not, unless I'm very much mistaken. At any rate, I found that my very first bottle of the Benromach 100 was a tad musty in a less than ideal way, but the rest were spot-on. I suppose it could have been a cork issue, but I remember no problems whatever with the cork and I surely would have noticed.

In principle, a good benromach, there is somewhat excessive guilty note, as for me, but in general is normal. Plus is a moderate price. 22-22-21-22

Aroma: rich, sweet, slightly alcoholic, caramel, boiled condensed milk, soot, charred wood, ripe autumn foliage, smoked dried fruits, metallic notes. Over time, the wood component is felt even wider: varnish, plywood, glue for wood, a humidor with cigars, notes of sour berries, machine oil appear.

Taste: bright, attack of spices, pepper, ginger, spices for mulled wine, salted caramel, toffee, many smoked meats, dried apples and pears, astringent tree, red walnuts, ash.

Finish: longer than average, smoked meats, sweetness, honey, caramel with nuts, tobacco leaf, dressed leather, rich fruit compote, lots of astringent walnut and wood tannins. Completes all the varnish-ash-mineral notes, engine oil.

Rating: 88

Bottom line: a very successful whisky, such a basic 10-year-old on steroids, but with more phenol. As usual in official releases - an abundance of pleasant oak, walnut, varnish.