| |
Home
Thousands of tastings,
all the ramblings
and all the fun
(hopefully!)
Whiskyfun.com
Guaranteed ad-free
copyright 2002-2026
|
 |
|
| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
| |
|
| |
| |
April 27, 2026 |
|
  |
|
|
WF's Little Duos,
today a pair of Benromach 2014s matured in first-fill sherry casks |
Benromach is the Speysider that’s somewhat more peated than the others, almost intrinsically so. Many other Speyside distilleries have produced, and sometimes still produce, peated whisky, like Benriach, for example, but these tend to be fairly occasional batches and aren’t really part of those distilleries’ DNA. We’ll start with the younger of the two, though the age gap is minimal. |
|
Benromach 2014/2024 (60.4%, OB for Whiskysite Netherlands, fist fill sherry hogshead, cask #624, 303 bottles) 
Colour: full gold. Nose: we always tend to prefer bourbon or refill, but I shan’t deny that here the dry sherry marries very well with the earthy and slightly petroly side of the distillate. So here we are in front of a fine cedar cabinet of Cuban cigars, lined up as if on parade. Behind them, engine oil and green walnuts, as expected. With water: notes that we sometimes describe, wrongly once again, as ‘chemical’. New plastics and all that. Mouth (neat): very lively for a sherry, starting with a combo of wee lemons and bitter oranges, before moving towards more maritime elements, though relatively discreet. The bitterness of green walnut rumbles in the background. With water: rather magnificent, it heads towards beef broth, even instant Chinese noodles at .99€ a pot. I love them, even if there may be a touch too much glutamate and other slightly ‘over the top’ things. Then again, at that price you might say... Finish: long and saline, clearly leaning towards that other distillery that starts the same. Indeed, Ben Nevis. The aftertaste is much more peppery. Comments: absolutely excellent, even if we continue to prefer the less marked versions. We are what we are.
SGP:372 - 88 points. |
|
Benromach 2014/2025 (59.1%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, first fill sherry hogshead, cask #675, 299 bottles)
Will these two sister casks be identical? There is every chance. Colour: full gold. Nose: we find that each in turn seems a little more marked by the sherry than the other, then less so, then more on tobacco, then less on tobacco, these are merely oscillations probably due to the unstable temperament of our olfactory bulb, nothing serious, it is perfectly normal. In short, it is the same whisky at 95% we might say. This one perhaps just a shade rounder, a touch less wild. With water: very, very, very slight hints of mango appear, that is what comes of thinking of Ben Nevis. Mouth (neat): much of a muchness, ‘kiff-kiff bourricot’ as they say in the Atlas Mountains. This one again seems just a tiny wee bit softer, more on citrus, though it could be different in ten minutes. With water: much the same, while the pepper comes charging in. Finish: in the finish the two babies are really identical. They are twins… Comments: and therefore equally excellent.
SGP:372 - 88 points. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
