Benromach 2012

Overall rating
86.23/100
votes
136
Whiskybase ID
WB189724
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Distillery Bottling
Bottling serie
Contrasts: Peat Smoke
Vintage
2012
Bottled
14.07.2021
Casktype
First-Fill Sherry Hogsheads
Number of bottles
6000
Strength
46.0 % Vol.
Size
700 ml
Label
Sherry Cask Matured / Phenol level - 55PPM
Bottle code
210225
Barcode
5020613084704
Added on
11 aug 2021 11:02 pm by Mdall145
UncoloredNon-chillfiltered

Average value

£ 59.31

52 × in wishlist

136 × member ratings

323 × in collection

Whisky reviews for Benromach 2012

36 users have left 37 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 86.23 points.

  1. thijs100 scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    If you’re a fan of the 2010 vintage, you can safely buy the new release, which is just as good even at a lower abv.
    • Nose
      Sauerkraut at first, but then it becomes much more reminiscent of the previous batch. Dry with a proper amount of red fruits, as well charred meat with smoked paprika powder, but also creosote and a some rubber.
    • Taste
      Proper oily mouthfeel followed by earthy smoke, aniseed and charcoal, as well as dried tangerine peel, tobacco and honey-glazed peanuts. Whiff of cloves and pepper too. It’s slightly dirty, but I like it.
    • Finish
      A whiff of chocolate, just a hint of rubber matches and port-stewed pears.

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  3. JFMalt scored this whisky 86 points Member Senior

    Amongst the core general releases of Benromach, I would rank this amongst the top, together with Contrasts Peat Smoke Bourbon cask. The nose is what you would expect of a peated whisky matured in sherry casks, but on the palate is where it shines with soot, dark berries, honey, malt, and slight salinity. Great mouthfeel with a medium finish, thanks to the bottling strength of 46%.

  4. Downtherabbithole scored this whisky 87 points Member Senior

    Good balance of sherry and peat!
    Doesn't taste too young, doesn't have too much barrel influence, no obviously disturbing notes. Here you can find a bit of everything, without one side gaining the upper hand.
    • Nose
      BBQ, smoke, red berries, did anyone put fish on the grill?
    • Taste
      Smoke, sherry notes, but without excessive sweetness, tobacco, leather.
    • Finish
      Medium length, red sweetness and campfire smoke, increasingly dry and with woody notes.

  5. holborndrinker scored this whisky 83 points Connoisseur

    Think dessert meets BBQ and you'll have a good idea of what this tastes like - a pleasant dram, but my socks have stayed on.
    • Nose
      83 83
      Peach melba flecked with cigar ash. Slightly spiky in the glass.
    • Taste
      83 83
      The whisky is much better than the nose would lead you to believe - the sherry comes through heavily with sweet notes and a slightly odd cherry note.
    • Finish
      82 82
      The finish is quite short - a sherry notes lingers.

  6. RowanSteedman scored this whisky 85 points Newbie

    A very good whisky, great mix of flavours with peated whisky from the sherry casks.
    • Nose
      86 86
      Maple Syrup
      Bacon
      Chocolate
      Smoke
    • Taste
      87 87
      Smoke
      Sweet salted pretzels
      Dark Fruit
      Sherry
    • Finish
      83 83
      Semi dry but sweet
      More smoke

  7. Ficelli scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      88 88

  8. Larry411 scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    First crack, without letting it breathe: Wet hay, rusty dirty wet wheelbarrow, coffee, soggy Glosette raisins, some mint ice cream, and old brittle elastics.

    Right now, this is tasting like if Ardbeg Wee Beastie was finished for a little under a year in Oloroso.

  9. DillaDonut1 scored this whisky 89 points Expert Junior

    • Nose
      90 90
    • Taste
      89 89
    • Finish
      88 88

  10. Marequiers48 scored this whisky 83 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      80 80
    • Taste
      86 86
    • Finish
      84 84

  11. ThinLizzy scored this whisky 87 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      87 87

  12. elipszis scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      88 88
      leathery
      red berries
      green banana
      smoky
      caramel
    • Taste
      88 88
      smoky
      earthy
      plum jam
      salty-sweet
      bitter
      mint
      red berries
    • Finish
      86 86
      plum jam
      ash
      medium finish

  13. grinface scored this whisky 86 points Expert Senior

    I think this is a nice and conciliatory end to my Benromach session. It contains what was promised and it feels less error-prone. Cask strength would have been interesting.

    Full review, in a tasting session with two partners and five Benromach: https://keinehalbendrinks.de/2022/04/21/eine-benromach-session/

  14. 67conrad67 scored this whisky 88 points Member Senior

    Odour: according to heavy oil note, settled smoke, bacon, sweet base, melty, cola, according to dirty rubber note, minty, German. gentian note ...

    Taste: sweetish smoke, according to alcohol sharpness, pepper, spicy wood, briquette note, oily, medium-flavoured. Reverberation, according to oaky ...

    Colour: lightening yellow gold, medium water mark, clear

    Conclusion: Still the "unwashed charmer" on the nose, the whisky then unpacks its fist on the palate - perfectly balanced, and the formally low age is never noticed negatively. For me a more than fairly priced alternative to some (in the meantime) hopelessly overpriced Campletown bottlings...

  15. redsnapper scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    Peated whiskys aren't usually my favourites. But if there is a clear sherry influence, I have to look at it. And I can't resist 1st fill sherry casks.

    Immediately sweet, subtle smoke on the nose. With the specified 55ppm significantly more than the "standard". Nevertheless, not intrusive, and for my nose not as musty as some Islay whiskys. It gets a little leathery over time. But there are not only notes of sherry and leather, caramel is also noticeable.

    On the palate then again sweetness and slight sharpness, spiciness. Smoked dried plums or figs. Smoking a cigar and chewing raisins and prunes with the smoke in my mouth, that's what's going through my head at the moment. I've never chewed leather before, but I'm imagining it right now. I like it.

    Now then a bit musty in the finish. But not negative, because not extremely pronounced. Very nice.

    A very successful bottling for my taste. There should be more of that. With this whisky, it is again clearly shown (for me) that it depends on the form of the day (and on what you have eaten before) whether it tastes good or very good to me.

  16. Svjatogor scored this whisky 81 points Expert Senior

    n: complex, sherry & peat, smoke, sweet, dried fruit, figs, leather, roasted meat, pepper, chili, ham, hint of bakelite
    t: peat, sherry, oak, dry, dried fruit
    a: intense peat, smoke, ginger, spicy, leather, ham, hint of salt

  17. Francishomola scored this whisky 87 points Expert Junior

    • Nose
      87 87
      6/4/22 Red berries, Spice, Smoke,87
      4/5/22 Sweet, Dunnage notes, Old Cellar,Earthy Funk, Caramel, Sultana, Smoky, Berries, Jammy, 87
    • Taste
      87 87
      Oily, Cabbage, Jammy, Red Fruits, Spicy,
      Fusal,Leafy, Minty Smoke, Toffy, Ashy, 86

      thirty/eleven /22 87
    • Finish
      86 86
      Long Dry Finish, Vanilla,
      Ashy,

  18. Jimbeau scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      86 86

  19. ShadowPeanut scored this whisky 68 points Member Senior

    New Year's firecrackers paired with Käsefuss, unfortunately not mine

  20. Tiredkiwi scored this whisky 90 points Member Senior

    If you like dirty, sherry, peat this is great.

    This doesn't seem much like the box notes that don't comment on the delicious (if you fancy them)
    My wife gets musty 1930s wooden wardrobe on the nose. I get tyre fire. This is the peatiest benromach I've had, and much peatier to my taste than the previous peat smoke sherry, and much dirtier/more rubber than the previous batch.
    On the palate my first note remains burning rubber, followed by wood - oak with it's varnish, more oak on the finish, finally some sweetness and spice.
    I love it, but appreciate it won't be to everyone's taste

  21. autorefill scored this whisky 86 points Expert Junior

    • Nose
      86 86
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      84 84

  22. Igitor scored this whisky 87 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      86 86

  23. just 2thetop scored this whisky 85 points Expert Senior

    Solid expression and as you would expect some typical sherry notes with strong background smoke - smoked paprika, barbequed meat - dried parma ham. What's not to like?

  24. glen efze scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    Benromach is a Speyside distillery that makes smoky whiskys. It was once widespread in Speyside - today it is a unique selling point. The whisky is still young, 8 years at the most, but that doesn't have to be a disadvantage with smoky stuff. Especially since the whisky comes from the sherry barrel. The color is light gold, so luckily it won't be a sherry monster.

    www.glen-efze.de
    • Nose
      There is strong smoke on the nose, not maritime, rather wood fire and then comes the sherry. A good combination, especially since the sherry is neither overemphasized nor too sweet. This suggests Oloroso and Refill. It's a very nice nose, well balanced - but still not good, but with a few rough edges.
    • Taste
      The taste of the whisky has a drinking strength of 46.0% vol., The alcohol is well integrated, but the aromas are well transported: smoke with nougat cream and some dark chocolate. There are no youthful or disturbing, too young tones. At the beginning there is a fruity sweetness, which then becomes drier and woodier on the palate. And over everything lies a strong wood smoke that is not too phenolic, but warm and glowing.
    • Finish
      The aftertaste is not very long - but smoke and wood stay in the mouth for some time, are not too astringent - but still dry.

      A great whisky that is not old, but still ripe and sufficiently complex. This is of course due to the smoke, but certainly also to the Refill Sherry Cask, which supports and complements the other flavors, but does not drown them out. It's a drinking whisky that is fun but not challenging or complicated. Benromach is a very interesting still. How could it be otherwise at a distillery owned by Gordon & MacPhail ...

  25. Tomatin1980 scored this whisky 83 points Expert Senior

    Not able to fill the shoes of the mighty cask strength predecessor and leaves something to be desired. Solid output but doesn't put me over the moon. One of the weaker Peat Smoke editions.

  26. eddi14 scored this whisky 84 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      86 86
    • Taste
      83 83
    • Finish
      83 83

  27. notesofmalt scored this whisky 89 points Expert Senior

    Benromach Peat Smoke 2012-2021, Sherry Cask Matured. 46% alc. Original bottling. Expansion: Sherry barrels (first fill, hogsheads).

    Nose: Strongly smoky, at the same time wonderfully fruity and spicy. The smoke starts with mineral and very slightly maritime aromas, some smoked fish, campfires and flotsam. In addition, solvents and paprika, grilled meat with sweet BBQ sauce. Behind that I find chilli in dark chocolate. Despite the 55ppm peat smoke in the malt, the smoke does not kill the other aromas, rather the Benromach character is reinforced again.

    Palate: Oily, earthy and lots of peat smoke. Dried meat, pepper and a good portion of oak. The sweetness is no longer as strong as in the nose, but leather, tobacco, malt and almonds come to the fore. The peppers come back together with the chilli chocolate, plus some orange jam, ginger and nutmeg, with cinnamon completely removed.

    Finish: Long and warming, the smoke now dominates. Behind it I discover dried fruits, pepper and ginger again.

    Conclusion: I had to take 40 minutes and let this Benromach breathe again and again, it was worth it. A wonderfully complex single malt that really offers a lot to discover. 89/100 points (2021)

    www.notesofmalt.com

  28. Mortar1703 scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      88 88

  29. RJKrueger scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    An "Islay malt" from Speyside - a great whisky to mess up the distillery's memory in blind tasting. And beautifully balanced at the same time.
    • Nose
      Nice nose with a decent complexity that still reveals a little more with a little time, especially in the fruity direction. The smoke is even more restrained than the 55 ppm promise. This also harmonizes nicely with the fruity, citrus-oriented Benromach spirit.
    • Taste
      Soft, harmonious with significantly more warm wood-heavy, but not medicinal smoke, combined with a nice fruity sweetness. Delicious !
    • Finish
      Long - of course - but also persistently sweet, leathery and with mild tobacco notes.

  30. Whisky Hamster scored this whisky 86 points Expert Senior

    A very coherent coastal Islay malt with brineyness and all it needs. Not Islay nor coastal you say? True, but this one fooled me. Romach def. upped their peat levels again compared to previous versions. Very competent and enjoyably characterful whereas long-time friends of Romach sensed some stream-lining in other recent vattings under the new bottle + label design. Recommended alternative for heavily peated coastal malts and more complex than a Ballantruan btw.

  31. Tuco1972 scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      86 86

  32. Joschbert scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      87 87
      87
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      89 89

  33. besar scored this whisky 85 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      85 85
    • Taste
      86 86
    • Finish
      85 85

  34. Dramming Dutchman scored this whisky 85 points Connoisseur

    Very nice dram of which I liked the finish best. At it's retail price of just over 50 euro I would buy myself a bottle when visiting a shop.
    • Nose
      84 84
    • Taste
      84 84
    • Finish
      87 87

  35. Rien scored this whisky 86 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      86 86
    • Finish
      86 86

  36. YD84 scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    Powdered red chilli, red fruits, oranges, earthy peat, chocolate, pepper, cloves, ginger, tobacco, old leather. The peat, while clearly present, does not dominate in any way. The finish is incredibly long. This is powerful and complex, as is customary with most Benromachs.
    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      88 88

  37. glen efze scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    Benromach is a Speyside distillery that makes smoky whiskys. It was once widespread in Speyside - today it is a unique selling point. The whisky is still young, 8 years at most, but that doesn't have to be a disadvantage with smoky stuff. Especially since the whisky comes from the sherry barrel. The color is light gold, so luckily it won't be a sherry monster.

    There is strong smoke on the nose, not maritime, more like a wood fire and then comes the sherry. A good combination, especially since the sherry is neither overemphasized nor too sweet. This suggests Oloroso and Refill. It's a very nice nose, well balanced - but still not good, but with a few rough edges.

    The taste of the whisky has a drinking strength of 46.0% vol., The alcohol is well integrated, but the aromas are well transported: smoke with nougat cream and a bit of dark chocolate. There is no youth or disturbing, too young tones. At the beginning there is fruity sweetness, which then becomes drier and woodier on the palate. And above everything lies a strong wood smoke that is not too phenolic, but warm and glowing.

    The aftertaste is not very long - but smoke and wood stay in the mouth for some time, are not too astringent - but still dry.

    A great whisky that is not old, but still ripe and sufficiently complex. This is of course due to the smoke, but certainly also to the Refill Sherry Cask, which supports and complements the other flavors, but does not drown them out. It's a drinking whisky that is fun but not challenging or complicated. Benromach is a very interesting still. How could it be otherwise at a distillery owned by Gordon MacPhail ...

  38. mattheww scored this whisky 84 points Expert Senior

    Unfortunately a bit weak on the chest compared to the predecessor (46%) ... A nice smoke, but the rest of the taste doesn't come through as well as with the 2010.

    Overall, a good dram.

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