Benromach Organic 2012 Vintage

Today, Benromach is the smallest distillery in Speyside with a workforce of just two and a maximum capacity of a mere half million litres annually. Benromach was established in 1898, a year a great number of distilleries came into being. The distillery was built by the Benromach Distillery Company and situated to the north of Forres in Speyside.

Drawing its water from the Chapeltown springs, Benromach was one of the many Speyside distilleries designed by the renowned Charles Doig, the Elgin-based architect who was credited also for Aberlour, Dufftown and Balblair among many others. Benromach, whose name derives from the Gaelic for "shaggy mountain", closed and reopened over the course of the 1930s. In 1983 it was mothballed. It was not until a decade later that the distillery was acquired from United Distillers by Gordon and MacPhail. Following the purchase, Gordon and MacPhail paraded it as a flagship distillery of the old school Speyside style. A more heavily peated malt was used, producing a fuller spirit.

Benromach was reopened officially by Prince Charles in 1998. Under Gordon and MacPhail's ownership, Benromach became the first distillery to release a Soil Association certified whisky with the 2006-released Organic.

Organic single malt from the brilliant Benromach Distillery, which was distilled back in 2012 and left to mature in virgin American oak casks until 2021. They use organically certified Scottish barley for this expression.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Toasty oak with warming hints of cinnamon and ginger, balanced by juicy apricot and white grape.

Palate: Banana bread and coffee, with continued ginger heat. Layers of runny caramel as it develops.

Finish: Subtly peppery, with just a whisper of floral smoke lingering.