Benromach 10-year-old

Very well done. Good value. Yes, I'd buy another bottle.

The neck of the bottle let me not a good impression. Once it started to go down through the bottle, improved day in and day out. Good price/performance ratio.

One of the entries that I often buy when it comes out at a reasonable price. I think I've had about 3 bottles since last year, but I've never written a bottle review, so I'll write a quick review. Even if I don't give it a high score, it's a good choice when you want to have a light and clean glass of peat and go to bed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this whisky. It has sweetness, saltiness, a subtle touch of woody smoke, and a smooth taste. It's a well-balanced and layered whisky. There are nuances of dried herbs, spices, marine notes, fruits, and a slight smoky touch. If the alcohol content were 46% instead of 43%, it would be even more flavorful, but it's still a fantastic whisky that could easily be enjoyed by the glass every day.

Fine finish. Slightly sharper in taste, but highly recommended with a piece of aged cheese.

I hope they only changed the label!

An interesting, quite distinctive flavor profile of powdered sugar, dried apple, smoked paprika and vanillin. Youngish, a bit too thin and short, but an interesting dram, worth the price paid (about € 30)

With this style, perhaps the best q/p [where you can find it at the right prices (and it's not my country)] 10 years old available to date. Out of curiosity, try drinking it next to a Banca di Primavera of the same declared age... Hello.

Not too strong peat, moderate sherry, and salty chocolate.

A very intensive and powerful Speyside Whisky. A bit "edgy" with the sherry notes hiding discreetly in the background.

Yes, luckily tastes are so different. I gave this Easy Slipper 87 points because the price-performance ratio is completely acceptable for what this entry-level whisky offers. An excellent, not overly complex, accompaniment to grilled meat.

Nose: Smoke, grape, cooked vegetable, toffee Taste: Honey, oak Finish: Smoke / Spicy

The Benromach 10 in a new jacket. I was a little afraid they would have changed the recept as well making me doubt this would be able to meet up with the high level of the previous batch and presentation.

Benromach 10 years, 43% alc. Original bottling (approx. 2020) Nose: I first notice a mild smoky note of peat, slightly fruity. Add to that damp hay, flower meadow after heavy rain. Wood polish, solvents, flavored pipe tobacco. With a little more malt and cedar wood, dried strawberries, overripe blackberries. Palate: dry with more smoke than on the nose. Light salmiak liquorice, maybe a little aniseed. In addition, meaty aromas, dark chocolate and mild cinnamon heat. The fruit aromas on the nose are still there, but are more in the background. Finish: Medium to long, first creamy and then quickly salty dry, slightly spicy. The finish is characterized by peat smoke, along with dried fruit and wood aromas, malt and cigar tobacco. Conclusion: incredibly exciting and multi-layered, ingeniously complex for the age and without being overwhelming. There is a clear buy recommendation on my part. 87/100 points (tasted in 2021) www.notesofmalt.com

herbs and cardboard. Drinkable, but I don't really know what to do with it. 61-70 - Okay, but not more than 1 dram

Benromach 10YO Category: Single Malt Manufacturer and bottler: Benromach Distillery (Gordon and McPhail) Region: Speyside Fortress: 43% Volume: 700 ml Bottling date: 04/07/2021 Barrel Type: First-Fill Bourbon and Sherry Casks Min. exposure: 10 years Filtering: no Dye: none Nose. Gentle, unobtrusive smoke, a little soot, a little skin and earthiness, creamy toffee, milk chocolate, baked apples, pears and peaches, raisins, dried apricots, blackcurrant and blueberry jam, orange, cherry, dark plum, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg, pepper , anise, a bit of minerality. The influence of sherry casks is evident and delivers amazingly deep and intense sweet aromas of dried fruits and spices, spiced with soft woody smoke without weighting the character with iodine or bandage motifs. Taste. Salted and peppery barbecue, creamy toffee, garden fruits and dark forest berries, citrus, very light nuances of raisins and chocolate dried apricots (in taste, unfortunately, sherry casks no longer “play” as much as in aroma), vanilla-malt moments ( there are a lot of them), ginger bitterness at the end. In general, the taste is well balanced, rounded. The body is of medium density, slightly watery for my taste, I would add a degree. Aftertaste. Intense, rich. Above average in duration. Black berries, raisins, anise, burntness. Summary. In general, whisky pleasantly surprised by the quality of performance for an entry-level release. Here we have good work with barrels and our own peat style, different from many manufacturers. The aroma and aftertaste just perfectly show the wide range of effects of aging, but on the palate, in my opinion, a little too much youthful malt, caramel manifestations and less ripe fruity, dried fruit moments. So, in order to create an even more balanced product, I would dare to suggest either increasing the aging by 2 years, or increasing the number of sherry casks used in the batch. The body is also slightly watery, as for me, whisky would work much better at 46%. But I wrote all these small critical arguments here not because I did not like the original product, but, exactly the opposite, and I want it to become even better. Rating: 84 out of 100.

Benromach 10 *Age statement: 10 years old. *Alcohol percentage at least 46%: no, 43%. *Amount of filtration: likely to be chillfiltered. *Use of caramel coloring {E150a}: stated on the packaging as uncolored. (2 out of 4, regarding craft/integrity presentation). Nose: gun powder, Jolly Rancher still in their wrappers, vanillin. Palate: cherry, orange, a hint of smoke, and licorice in its root form; this builds up to a crescendo and then dissipates into the finish. Finish: The woodiness of the licorice remains. I was disappointed by the Benromach 10, supposedly it was a rugged farmy whisky, in my experience I find this a huge exaggeration. While I do admit that the last part of the palate is rough, it’s not dirty, yeasty or industrial, but rather smoky and I find this rather boring. The nose is light and except for some sulfur that I describe as gun powder there is not much there. It’s certainly not bad, but also not very good.

Bold and characterful for 10 years.

Small Hexagon. The Poor Man's Springbank with No Peaches: 10 Years

Ralfy review 851: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHgRvKH8_00 (84/100). "Very much an old school flavor like you'll find in Glenugie's and North Port's. And Millburn's, another one. But lacking the yeastiness that you used to get in old whiskies. So if you want to taste the modern whisky which is an authentic throwback to the flavors of yesteryear's - and I'm talking about yesteryear is 30s, 40s and 50s, post prohibition times - then you've got a pretty good representation, or point of reference here, this 10 year old Benromach."

[11/10/2021 bottling] Distinctive, singular whisky. Old books, leather, dunnage, strawberries, oranges, earth, tobacco, powdered chocolate, hint of caramel. A wisp of smoke weaves in and out of all the other aromas and flavours. I will always have this in my cabinet. The livery has changed, but the liquid inside is still just as good. I probably prefer the older version a tiny bit more, but that's almost certainly down to just nostalgia. Having tried a couple of the new label batches, the 11/10/2021 batch is my favourite so far and almost deserves a 90, though I haven't tried anything post 2023 yet.

Excellent taste ,quite complex, masterfully balanced on the mouth. The sherry blends with juicy fruits, the dry wood smoke is very well integrated in the whole oily profile, and fine leather notes along with orange peels add a more mature and old school air. Maybe the best value for money whisky of the year 2021.

A great value entry into the world of Benromach, the malt will be available at the end of 2021 for under €40, which is a good price for an aged whisky with no colouring. Benromach only uses 1st fill casks, in this case a blend of 70% ex-Bourbon and 30% ex-Oloroso. In addition, it is a Speyside whisky that is peated, so today it is more of an exception among the classic Speysiders. Does it make sense? www.glen-efze.de

Really great standard with good PLV. There is subtle smoke, some sherry, some citrus. some caramel. Uncomplicated and yet convincing.

I have to say again and again, it's simply really well done. The 15 is far superior, but the 10 is always the best entry point into the distillery. The distillery character is unmistakable, with a Benromach funk that's hard to describe. The classic Benromachs from the core range generally have an ethereal note (near mint), light smoke, and that cowshed flavor (at least, that's how it is for me). I really like it.

This is a very cost-effective whisky—highly recommended.

Impressive smoky notes reminiscent of Lapsang Souchong black tea, Highland peat without any fishy smell, and vibrant fruit.

n: balanced, fruity, berries, red fruit, pepper, vanilla, citrus, cereal, perfume, muesli bar, bit of spicy t: full, fruity, citrus, oak a: balanced, light smoke, nice fruits

Not my type of smoke, unfortunately. Like smelling on a ham with iodine on it. The palate is very nice however. Excellent casks have been chosen. The sherry is present on the top of fairly typical bourbon honey sweetness.

Pretty decent and easy drinking. Slight creamy mouthfeel. Definitely a bag of interesting flavours that sets it apart from other OBs bottled at 40%, but would have been so much better if this were to be bottled at 46% or higher.

Light smoke, vanilla, dried fruits, baked apple, pear, cocoa, forest fruits, semi-dry.

Just a decent standard whisky, some red fruits, some whiffs of smoke. Pleasant, not very complex but just drinkable.

Nose: Light smoke, sherry, green fruits, vanilla pudding, a hint of caramel, velvety and smooth. Taste: Alcohol well hidden. Honey, smoke, sherry again, fresh wood, hazelnuts, a hint of dark chocolate. Finish: Not very long. Dark chocolate, hazelnuts, cherries in syrup, maple syrup. One of the most decent saisons on the market.

06/30/2025 - bottle Is there a peat Benromach? My dream...

good whisky, no doubt, but I like the 15 a lot more.

Benromach 10 Benromach is the more old-school Speyside with attitude. It has that slightly “dirty” character: light peat smoke, sherry richness, and a touch of earthy spice. * Smoke style: dry, slightly earthy/ashy, more noticeable * Fruit: baked apple, red fruit, orange peel * Sweetness: brown sugar, vanilla, light chocolate * Texture: oily, slightly rustic, more “hands-on” feel * Finish: longer, drier, more spice + oak grip Quite farmy and hay like. A decent, tasty, simple malt with sherry, oak, smoked almond nuts, with toffee and red sour fruits. Great value malt if lacking a bit of wow factor. Score 85

new bottle, what does that change? nose: malty, dry oak, vanilla, hint of smoke fruit in sweet compote on orchard fruits mouth: slight bitterness, the smoke is more frank, subtle at the same time; the toast exceeds it in terms of scent the wood arrives more pronounced, the cooked fruits and on grapes of the date, of the prune, the fruits of the orchard disappear caramel, peppery spices, a vegetal return to the elderberry all at once, some fresh, tannic leather, soft caramel final: bitterness, almond shell, cold smoke, dry wood, dried fruits, dried baked grapes, flower stalks.

31.01.2022

Very good value for money. Little (and a bit unfit) Springbank brother

Totally OK. Unfortunately the dram disappears from the palate very quickly. Good value for money.

The whisky equivilent of hanging out in a Swedish sauna. Dry and satisfying. Well balanced with bitter and sweet too.

nice smoke, good spice - great value

Lovely nose, nutty. To thin on the taste, would benefit a lot from higher ABV. Previous version had only slightly noticeable hint of smoke, this has even less.

According to reports on the internet, this whisky is only slightly smoky, but unfortunately I can't confirm that. For fans of peaty whiskys, this Speysider is definitely a fine whisky, for me it borders on pleasant, it is significantly peatier than, for example, the Oban Little Bay and even than the Glen Scotia Double Cask.

Blind Tasting

A decent drink. Price-quality

Sweet. Slightly smoky but not peat or medicinal. Pretty spicy for 43%

N: malty, sweet peat, oaky, fruityness in the back P: peat (surprising amount), oak, fruits, floral notes and some honey F: long, ash, malty, fruity

2022-07-20

S 7 At first sip, it's not uncomfortable but like chewing smoked oak shaves. Would've totally missed the fruits entirely if I simply swallowed the liquid instantly with repulsion. It’d be a great entry-level sherried peated whisky if the bitterness is tuned down a bit. [78-82] I'll gladly welcome another dram. N 25 Sourish citrusy, lemon and orange. Dusty malt. Wet hay. Smoked oak. A whiff of coastal peat. Fruits gradually pick up the pace but vegetal notes continue to lead the way. Ginger cake. P 25 Sweet and slightly oily. More vegetal than the nose. Oak bitterness. Plenty of wood spices and peat masking the underlying red fruits. Honey. Slightly buttery. Subtle smoke. More fruits (red apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, strawberries) surface as it stays longer. F 23 \ Mid-finish. Drying oak. A touch of red fruits and ashy peat lingering.

A lovely whisky for a good price, which is hard to find these days. It may be lacking in complexity, but it has a distinct profile and identity which makes it worth your while.

I was just really pleasantly surprised by the Bunnahabhain 12YO, and same with this one. Next to Ledaig 10YO, it goes straight to second best 10 year old I have tried so far. With a nice sherried taste (but not too much), pleasant smoke, plenty of fruits and grains, this hits just right for me. Considering the price, very good value.

Compared to the older 10yo version, this one is significantly more sherry-like in both taste and aroma. Aroma: Sherry sweetness and fruity freshness, oak woodiness, leather, faint peat, pear slices, honey in the background. The old polished parquet floors have completely disappeared from the aroma. The taste is slightly peaty, distinctly vanilla-sweet, slightly woody, malty with honey and fruity freshness. A slight bitterness appears at the end.

A rather intricate and finely crafted whisky, with a wide palette of derivatives, a multitude of shades and undertones, with ghostly phenolic notes appearing here and there. It's very interesting, although at first glance it seems banal and nothing special, and unfortunately, it lags a bit in development.

Gorgeous nose. Just so nice. The minute I opened up the sample and poured it, I was visibly excited. The nosing was an adventure, the first-fill Bourbon and Sherry seasoned oaks really shine through nicely, more so the Bourbon. This whisky has undergone 'gentle chill filtration', what Mr. Cruickshank explains is a slower than usual process in order to maintain the aesthetic of the whisky in a glass. I feel like that might have taken out too much of the flavor. Case in point; the palate and finish are both a letdown. Mind you, I've never had a Benromach before, this new bottling was my first and well, it's not an understatement to say I was disappointed. It's an easy drinker, I'll give it that much.

Smell: wet wool, charcoal fire, oak, nuts + preserved fruit, basically no smell of alcohol or new wine, steamed apples, astringency of apple peel, not too much cream cake, honey water. The scent is relatively balanced, unsurprisingly good at the same time, and the more you wake up, the better. How did this happen? . . . 87/100 Taste: pleasant sweetness, not much saltiness. Smoked, roasted, sweet and sour pulp, a little wooden barrel, a little star anise and other spices, diluted milk, it tastes rich and has no pressure to drink 86/100 Body: medium light, average fat, but not too loose 84/100 Final rhyme: astringent, a bit bitter bottom 80/100 Overall: 86/100, the orientation is not the same as the old version 10 years ago. The old version has a heavier taste in the impression. This one is more acceptable. It is quite balanced and easy to drink sweet water. The peat is not very heavy, which is perfect for me. Expectations of rations.

Apricot, peach, meat broth, some leather and smoke start on the nose. There is a slight note of damp cardboard over this. In the mouth it is relatively thin but still full, with a fruity-spicy note developing. In the finish there is a beautiful, voluminous chocolate note, which is accompanied by light ash and fruit notes from the nose. Length: 5/10 Overall, a great, almost drinkable standard that could use a little more boost in the mouth, but is still completely convincing. Grade: 2+

Sample from my Advent calendar... Very good standard.

Benromach 10 Year, SSMSW, 43%. 25ml sample at home, June 2025. A nice vibrant golden colour. Aroma has lemon boiled sweets and buttery vanilla mixed with charcoal briquettes and cooking gas, singed sawdust. Good. Body is moderately oily. Good weight to it. Taste is again buttery oak with some lemon zest, minerally salty middle, moving bitter and waxy and charred into the finish. Increasingly bitter. Some nice aspects to this, and interesting character. I can see why they bottled it at a low ABV – this carries itself quite well despite it, and drinks a bit hotter than it is due to the bitterness. The palate doesn’t quite match up to the aroma and body, but it’s decent stuff. 3.45/82

2021 Rating

Coming back to this for the first time in over three years. This is such a solid malt and probably the best based on price in the part of Canada I am in. There continues to be a nice combination of sherry and funk on the delivery. This is followed by a molasses, medium dry peat, powdered sugar and sour tang finish. It all punches a bit too soft at 43%, but for the range of flavours this remains a bargain imo. Same score as before.

Eschewing the usual sweet Speyside playbook, Benromach is a really good old school expression that overlays a nice peat and slight iodine profile. Really close to being great, but held back by low ABV. I'll be adding the cask strength version of this to my wish list.

It can be so simple, sensible barrels and a suitable age and you get a wonderful whisky. This Benromach convinces with great fruit aromas, light campfire smoke and a clear barrel influence.

Remarkable standard bottling. Quite complex for 10 years. At the same time dangerously tasty. For under €40 unbeatable PLV.

A little fake and not really letting the Benromach DNA come through. At least older versions taste better to me.

Amazing whisky. Tons of personality, complexity and flavor. A peculiar combination of sherry notes and peat notes. I definitely have to try more whiskys from this distillery. - Dominant notes: a very peculiar combination of sherry and peat. Both subtle, but at the same time prominent in their mutual combination. They don't stand out separately, but together they shine like gold. It's hard to explain, but extremely nice and interesting. It's unique. - Secondary notes: Smoked paprika (thanks CaolIlla25), rancid cardboard (yes), apple, cinnamon, anise, nuts, red fruits, wild herbs, mineral notes, honey, earthy, pepper, tobacco, malt, plum, toasted caramel, orange. Touches of leather, cerales and oak. Medium finish, in which the sweet notes of sherry, spicy pepper, peat and cardboard predominate. Intensity: 4/5 (Intense) Complexity:4 /5 (Complex) Originality/heterodoxy: 4/5 (Unique) Density/ presence in the mouth: 4/5 (Oily) Quality/price ratio: 4/5 (Good price) Rating: 89/100 (I like it a lot / Excellent) - Pros: It is the only whisky I know of that makes the notes of cardboard play an interesting role in the whole. In general, extremely interesting. Finding a whisky that is both accessible, highly original and very good is exactly what I look for in the wonderful world of whisky. I could spend many hours in your company. It is obviously of a higher quality than most. For its price, it is the best out there. - Cons: It is impossible to find it interesting if you do not have much experience in the world of whiskys. Even if you're very experienced, I think it's one of those whiskys you either love or hate, because of all its quirky notes, especially the cardboard one. This whisky requires not to be chillfiltered!

Very interesting. The very first to arrive were light oak tannins and the realization that the mass consumer would not understand anything about it, because it had a very unusual combination of subtle aromas and tastes. The second number came with light smoke, and after it the feeling that this amount of smoke is like +/- in HP, but basic HP doesn’t work for me personally, but this one did. As a result, a very interesting combination of fruits, honey, "touch of smoke" and the pleasantness of increased pepper strength.

Excellent whisky for its price! Noticeably ammoniacal at first, then deep, aromatic and complex notes emerge. But it doesn’t last long in the air and deteriorates quite quickly, becoming bitter in taste. 21 21 21 21

The Benromach 10 is a fantastic, lightly smoky single malt. It's sweet and spicy with plenty of character. The 43% ABV is debatable, but even at this strength, it's a very expressive whisky. Pleasantly sweet and pleasantly spicy. Relatively complex and wonderfully balanced with a subtle smoky note. In my opinion, this is a bottling that no whisky collection should be without.

Aroma: smoke, bright. Taste: smoke, burnt, bitter.

Super nice profile, so much character! However, It took me a while to finish the bottle. I think it is the combination of peat and sherry casks that just isn’t my thing, usually it results in a sourness that tends to clash with the sweet notes. Really good stuff though, and great value.

The first time I tried Benromach 10 was ages ago and I didn't like it at all. I think my palate wasn't ready yet, because I do now. Quite a lot. I also think there might have been a bit of a neck-pour effect going on, or maybe I just hadnt let it rest, as I remember being put off by late astringency, whereas this time, that astringency is still there, but tastes more in balance every time I take a sip. In fact, the deeper into the bottle I get, the more I'm enjoying this, all round. And it is an all-rounder. A bit sweet, a bit sour some savoury funk, some spice, various fruits, measured bitterness, that astringent edge, wood, vanilla, even a hint of charred carbon - it packs them all in. I put this solidly between Ledaig and Craigellachie in terms of some of my favourite entry level, distillery bottlings and fantastic value for money. Slight digression: Benromach has been fairly recently rebranded and I'm not crazy about the new look, but then, I didn't really like the old style either.

A tasty malt with a nice cask combination and the light peat smoke as an extra. You should give him time to open up. Then you are rewarded with a great complexity, which is not a matter of course for bottlings of this age. https://www.aboutwhisky.de/tastingnotes/benromach-10-years/

an oke dram, on the nose and pallet a lot more Peat smoke then expected. mouthfeel is soft and oily what i like. but in the tast some sharpness. I think some more years in the cask will do a lot for this one.

Solid BFYB bottle. Has an incredible range of flavours for a scotch this cheap - sherry, a bit of peat, brine and minerality. Truly a unique malt for that area of Scotland. The only fault is the abv. At 43% it just goes down a little too quickly. The cask strength Benromachs are worth the extra price.