Another verticale of official and semi-independent Benromach


October 27, 2026

Another verticale of official and semi-independent Benromach

When we say ‘semi-independent’, we mean Gordon & MacPhail, who have also owned the distillery since 1993. Production resumed in 1998, exactly a hundred years after its foundation in 1898. I freely admit to preferring these post-1998 distillates to the pre-1983 makes, 1983 being the year D.C.L. closed the place. Right then, onwards and upwards…

Sir Kenny Dalglish admiring some treasures at Gordon & MacPhail.
(Gordon & MacPhail)

Benromach 11 yo ‘Traveller’s Edition’ (46%, OB, 1st fill cask, 2025)

Let’s admit that ‘travellers’ aren’t always treated terribly well by whisky companies, particularly at airports. I’m not talking about Benromach! Here we have first-fill casks, probably a combination of bourbon and sherry… Colour: gold. Nose: perfect apéritif material, with all the DNA of contemporary Benromach and admirable restraint on the oak front, despite that ‘first fill’ mention. Above all, fresh walnuts and almonds, very lightly smoked and caramelised. A few drops of Maggi or malt extract seem to have found their way into the proceedings. Mouth: ashes, pepper, leather, tobacco, mustard, walnut liqueur, light brine, ras-el-hanout, then yet more pepper. Bags of personality and quite a hefty bitterness, albeit a lovely one. Finish: long, peppery, bitter, you could almost replace Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce with this rather boisterous little Benromach. Comments: something of the Dobermann about it, if you see what I mean.
SGP: 372 - 86 points.

Benromach 12 yo (46%, OB, sherry cask matured, 2026)

‘Exclusively Sherry Cask Matured’, no less, perhaps a gentle kick in the shins for all those distilleries printing ‘sherry’ in enormous letters when they mean a finish or three years of re-racking. Colour: full gold. Nose: not far removed, just a little more walnut cake and pipe tobacco, with the rest much like the 11-year-old. Which we certainly aren’t complaining about, are we. Mouth: same comments, word for word. A little bitter orange joins the party, along with even more black pepper. Finish: much of a muchness. A touch of pine sap. Comments: six of one, half a dozen of the other.
SGP: 372 - 86 points.

Benromach 2012/2026 (46%, OB, Taiwan Exclusive, first fill sherry hogshead, 150 bottles)

Sorry, we only have a wee picture of the main label for now, we’ll put that right as soon as possible (yes, yes, of course we will) …

Colour: dark amber. Nose: the previous one, only with more prunes, currants, fruitcake and very moist pipe tobacco, a few drops of armagnac and, above all, a pronounced Christmas cake character. Lovely touches of menthol and especially eucalyptus, perfect for some steam inhalations when you’ve caught a cold. Mouth: fairly massive sherry, packed with chocolate, tobacco and coffee, then prunes in armagnac and black pepper. Extremely classical, in that old-school Speyside style. Finish: long, at once jammy, mentholated and peppery. Prunes and orange marmalade rule the aftertaste. Comments: a profile which, we’ve always been told, goes down particularly well with our dear friends in Asia. Well played, then (and I suspect I have Asian ancestors myself, perhaps from the days of Genghis Khan…)
SGP:561 - 88 points.

Benromach 16 yo 2010/2026 (60.1%, OB, LMDW Collection Anthology, Golden Promise, first fill sherry hogshead, cask #270, 260 bottles)Benromach 16 yo 2010/2026 (60.1%, OB, LMDW Collection Anthology, Golden Promise, first fill sherry hogshead, cask #270, 260 bottles)

Benromach 16 yo 2010/2026 (60.1%, OB, LMDW Collection Anthology, Golden Promise, first fill sherry hogshead, cask #270, 260 bottles)

This should deliver a few proper slaps… Thoroughly deserved ones, no doubt. Colour: deep gold. Nose: powerful, but elegant too, led by cedarwood, patchouli, tobacco, that eternal touch of mustard, fir wood, varnishes and apple tart drizzled with honey. Magnificent. With water: it draws in a little around fruit-and-honey bread. Things could be worse. Seriously, this is superb. Mouth (neat): incredible peppery, sappy, bitter power. I think we should fetch the water straight away… With water: an entire family of sultanas taking up residence in a cinnamon cake. Apricot jam wraps everything up and rounds it off. Finish: long, spicy yet gentle, yet spicy, yet gentle, yet… A more honeyed, smoky aftertaste. Comments: a Benromach in full battle dress. So far, we can hardly claim this vertical isn’t going well.
SGP: 662 - 91 points.

Benromach 23 yo ‘The Year of the Fire Goat’ (55.7%, OB, first fill bourbon and sherry, 2026)

I believe this baby won’t be officially launched until the very end of the year, but I could be wrong (who said ‘again!’, who?) The Year of the Fire Goat is 2027. Colour: deep gold. Nose: now this is more perfect than perfect. Cleaner than the others, more precise, more on nougat, honeysuckle, meadow honey, chen-pi, mandarin and citron liqueurs… Well, you get the picture. With water: it becomes almost ethereal, while recalling the intensely sweet wines of Egon Müller in Germany or Zind-Humbrecht here in Alsace. Let’s say Pinot Gris SGN Hengst with twenty years in bottle (a fresh memory, this one). Mouth (neat): exceptional bourbon. White pepper, orange, quince, mandarin, mullein syrup. The citrus fruits are fantastic, surprisingly so even. With water: would you believe me if I said this reminded me of early-1970s Clynelish? Finish: not that long, but with perfectly pure citrus. Lemon marmalade in the aftertaste, with a touch of pink pepper. Comments: this is getting awkward, we’re already at quite an altitude and still have three Benromachs to taste, all older, of course. We did say a verticale, didn’t we?
SGP: 651 - 91 points.

Benromach 25 yo (46%, OB, bourbon and sherry casks, 2026)

The latest arrival. Mind you, we’re dropping back to 46% vol., something we’ll have to allow for after the Goat Fur (the what?) Besides, we’re always wary of the death seat effect after a proper star such as that 23-year-old at over 55% vol. Colour: gold. Nose: lovely, of course, more classically Benromach, more coastal, taut and lemony, with more ashes, peat, wax, chalk… In short, less spectacular than the 23, certainly, but even closer to my personal tastes. Hey, it’s my ‘blog’, I’ll do and say what I like (LOL, as we used to say before Trump). Mouth: the most perfect demonstration of the validity of my personal theory about Scotch malt’s ‘main axis’. A reminder, from north to south: Highland Park, Clynelish, Benromach, Ben Nevis, Springbank. Here, spices, especially pepper, and salted citrus fruits, brined Italian-style, dominate this lovely picture, lively as an ermine in a hurry. Finish: long, more saline, maritime, lemony, and I swear a few oysters went past too. Comments: a relief, I confess, I was a little worried The Year of the Fur (come on) might have flattened it.
SGP: 452 - 91 points.

Benromach 26 yo 1999/2026 (53.8%, OB, LMDW Collection Anthology, first fill sherry hogshead, cask #21606501, 322 bottles)

First bit of good news, there are 322 bottles. Or rather, there were. You’ll also have noticed that this vintage comes from the year after the distillery restarted. Perhaps there was still a little trial and error period going on? I doubt it, but you never know… Colour: full gold. Nose: no, this is peatier, more coastal, waxier, almost more rubbery. Boot polish, new rubber bands, smoked almonds, charcoal, burnt pinecones, dried morels, a full ashtray… With water: practically Campbeltownian now. Mouth (neat): someone seems to have thought that taking lemons, peppering them and smoking them over fir wood might be an interesting idea. Bless that person. With water: back to basics, pepper, chalk, clay, and a certain dryness and bitterness from all those ashes. Finish: long and very dry. Comments: water needs handling carefully with slightly older malts from active wood, as it can heighten the feeling of tannicity. Now here, the citrus fruits keep things nicely afloat. Magnificent nose and palate without water, although water does tend to slightly upset the apple cart on the palate. In my humble opinion.
SGP: 572 - 89 points.

Let’s finish with an ‘old Benromach’, if you will…

Benromach 1977/2026 ‘It’s not a Rehearsal’ (46.7%, Gordon & MacPhail, Sir Kenny Dalglish’s Vintage Moments, first-fill sherry hogshead)

Benromach’s style before the 1983 closure was different from the post-1998 ‘G&M’ profile, let’s say less distinctive, certainly less smoky, less coastal, less nervous, less thick and less textured too. Between ourselves, I even wondered whether we ought to have tasted this little 1977 first, ahead of the very lovely ‘modern’ 11-year-old. But a verticale is a verticale, as Monsieur de La Palice would have said… Colour: gold. Nose: phew, still very lovely indeed, with that light mustard already present, tarragon, liquorice wood, ripe plums, walnuts and even delicate touches of fennel seed. In short, it’s holding its own perfectly well so far. Mouth: very bitter, but these are magnificent bitters, chiefly Seville orange, green walnut, resin, lemon peel, then a whole host of distinguished, elegant peppers. Will you forgive me if I mention touches of tequila too? Did Sir Kenny ever play against Mexico? Finish: long, more antiseptic, herbal, on fruit skins, green walnuts, grapefruit… Yet everything is perfectly synchronised. Almost a surprise, really. Comments: I’m afraid you’ll think we’ve made all this up, but in memory of Frank Zappa, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, I certify with a light heart and a clear conscience that we haven’t. At all.
SGP: 461 - 91 points

I’m beginning to think the differences between ‘old’ and ‘new’ Benromach aren’t quite as pronounced as I’d suggested. I shall therefore immediately withdraw from the world to an ashram in Tibet to meditate on the matter. I reckon I’ll need at least seven years (naturally). But what a session indeed. See ya.

Check the index of all Benromach we've tasted