| |
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! |
| |
|
| |
| |
July 22, 2026 |
|
  |
|
|
WF's Little Duos,
today Benromach,
Côte-Rôtie vs Golden Promise |
|
| Côte-Rôtie in the Northern Rhône Valley (ODG Côte-Rôtie) |
We have shifted our views a little on the use of red wine for finishing. After a rather hit-and-miss twenty-year spell, we've noticed that the easier, more neutral and less characterful malts now tend to emerge from the exercise in fairly better shape, certainly better than the sturdier, more distinctive and more full-blooded spirits such as... Benromach. To survive a clash, you need… little character! That said, you could always argue that Côte-Rôtie isn't quite a red wine in the strictest sense, since it traditionally contains a small proportion of Viognier, say five to ten per cent, usually co-fermented rather than simply blended in afterwards. As you know, Viognier is a white grape variety. Then again, plenty of growers now produce less traditional Côte-Rôtie made from 100% Syrah. In any case, Côte-Rôtie is, of course, officially classified as a red wine. The whites from the region are Condrieu. Anyway... |
|
Benromach 12 yo 2014/2026 ‘Contrast Côte-Rôtie Wine Cask’ (46%, OB) 
Bourbon then roughly two years in Côte-Rôtie cask. Let's see whether this can outshine the fairly recent Bordeaux (WF 83), Super Tuscan (WF 83), the older Sassicaia (WF 78), or even the older Hermitage (WF 78). Oh, and let's not forget the Cissac from ten years ago (WF 65). You see, they're all getting better... Colour: ripe apricot. Nose: flinty minerality, coal smoke, gas, truffle, raspberries, blackcurrants, boot polish, cabbage and leek soup, basalt... It's rather intriguing, although the integration may not be quite complete yet, even if there are some lovely Syrah spices weaving through the whole. Mouth: plenty of pepper, plenty of blackcurrant buds, then ripe tomatoes and a peatiness that feels particularly assertive in this context, very much on ashes and slightly burnt engine oil. Finish: fairly long, not quite as dissonant as we had feared, though still a little awkward. The peppers are rather attractive, mind you. Comments: I suppose every fine family needs two or three lame ducks. Well, it's really not all that bad after all...
SGP:463 - 80 points. |
Well, much as I adore the wines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, if you were to ask me whether, as far as malt whisky is concerned, I wouldn't rather have another edition built around Golden Promise barley, I suspect you already know what my answer would be... |
|
Benromach 13 yo ‘Golden Promise Barley Edition’ (46%, OB, exclusive for The Whisky Club, Australia, first fill sherry cask, 2026) 
Not too sure this has been released yet, but it has certainly been bottled. Colour: gold. Nose: good heavens, Breton crêpes, pancakes, sourdough, polenta, pizza dough, fougasse... Have we ever come closer to barley itself? I rather doubt it. Lovely little hints of mandarin lurking in the background, adding another dimension to this malt that is, for the moment, almost brilliantly binary. Mouth: even better on the palate. Pumpernickel, Swedish crispbread, white pepper, more crêpes and mandarins, then a duo of coriander seed and juniper that brings an extra layer of depth, almost like a very high-end gin, if such a thing really exists. Finish: fairly long, with smoke suddenly charging in, followed by ashes and even a touch of horseradish. Comments: this is wonderfully dry. We almost get the impression we've plunged our head straight into a barley field. Let's hope they distilled enough Golden Promise to treat us to a few more bottlings over the coming months and years... In short, I love it.
SGP:364 - 90 points. |
And the winner is… Benromach! |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
