Contrasting duo from Benromach
A treat for real whisky geeks - two whiskies from the same distillery, same age, same raw material and production regime, but matured in two different types of barrels. However, even these differences are so slight that the untrained eye will say that we are dealing with two almost identical editions of whisky. But surely?
We are talking about two premiere editions of whiskies from the Benromach distillery, part of the Contrasts series, distilled in 2012 and matured under almost identical conditions. The only difference is the method of drying the oak staves used to make the barrels for their maturation. Virgin wood, that is, never having come into contact with whisky or any other alcohol before.
Benromach Contrasts Air (46% vol.), a lightly peated whisky distilled in 2012, was matured in barrels made of oak staves that took three years to dry outdoors.
Benromach Contrasts Kiln (46% vol.), also a lightly peated whisky distilled in 2012, underwent maturation in barrels made of oak staves that dried in fresh air for two years, after which the drying process was completed in a traditional heated dryer to speed up the process.
Both whiskies were bottled in 2023 in their natural form - without cold filtering or caramel coloring.
Benromach Contrasts Air offers notes of vanilla fudge, roasted cereal and citrus flowers in its bouquet. In the taste you will find peppery notes, vanilla, fresh peppermint and oak. Its finish is delicate hints of smoke.
In the bouquet Benromach Contrasts Kiln we should find notes of sweet malt biscuits, lemon and apples. In its taste, the producer promises creamy and fruity accents, barley malt sweetness and tropical fruits. In the finish we find a gentle smoke and menthol.
As you can easily guess, both whiskies are limited editions, although the manufacturer does not admit the number of bottles of each to be released to the market. One can only guess that these are roughly the same size for Air and for Kiln.
It is often said that maturation in oak barrels is responsible for most of the aromatic and flavor elements offered by whisky, and even minimal differences in maturation conditions can translate into significant flavor differences years later. The two editions of Benromach Contrasts described today have been prepared to demonstrate these differences and are an excellent resource for whisky lovers to experience these differences on their own palates.
Benromach is a distillery founded in 1898, riding the wave of great popularity of Scotch whisky in the late 19th century, and is located in the village of Forres, on the northern edge of the Speyside region. It closed during the darkest period for Scotch whisky, as a result of the 1983 overproduction crisis. At the time, it belonged to United Distillers, the progenitor of today's Diageo, and shared the fate of a whole series of distilleries to which the corporation's accounting department did not augur a future on the distilling map of Scotland. The distillery was bought 10 years later by an independent distributor, Gordon & MacPhail of Elgin. However, as the Benromach buildings were literally cleared of firing equipment, it took the new owner as long as five years before distillate flowed again from the new Benromach alembics. It wasn't until 2009 that the first age-defining whisky appeared, Benromach 10yo, forming the core of the distillery's core offering.
The House of Whisky Online offers a wide selection of whisky from Benromach distillery, including today's completely unique editions bottled before the distillery was restarted.
[14.07.2023 / Photo: Benromach]