Benromach

Back in 1983 the old Distillers Company Limited closed nine distilleries in an effort to cut over-supply and lower the level of the 'whisky loch.' Two years later, the firm went on to shut a further ten distilleries. Some of those silent distilleries are long gone, buried beneath retail and residential developments, but others have happier tales to tell. Tales of restoration and revival.

One such distillery is Benromach, built in 1898 on the outskirts of Forres, close to Elgin. Benromach closed in 1983, but was saved from oblivion by the internationally renowned Elgin-based independent bottler, wholesaler and retailer Gordon & MacPhail, who purchased the site in 1993 and set about reviving the distillery. It was subsequently reopened by HRH the Prince of Wales in its centenary year. It can be argued that Benromach was lucky to fall into the hands of a company like Gordon & MacPhail, with its impeccable Scotch whisky heritage dating back to 1895, and its deep commitment to Speyside and to Scotch whisky in general. So why did the firm decide to acquire a distillery, and why specifically Benromach?

According to Gordon & MacPhail's managing director Ian Urquhart, "My grandfather John was interested in buying a distillery back in the 1950s, and we had various ambitions after that, but then Benromach became available. We knew it, because we had been bottling it for a very long time, and we thought it was good whisky. We wanted somewhere quite small to fit our ethos, and with Benromach we had the opportunity to re-equip the distillery to the scale we wanted and work it at the level we wanted. Plus it was close to Elgin and quite easy to integrate into the overall operation."

Benromach is the smallest distillery on Speyside, and is run by just two men, one of whom is manager Keith Cruickshank, formerly employed by Chivas Bros. He has now been in charge of Benromach for six years. "There's just me and the stillman, Mike," he notes. "If Mike is away, I run the stills myself. It is that sort of a hands-on operation." Although Benromach is technically a reopened distillery, it is, in essence, a new distillery within the shell of an old one. Keith says "We only use half the space for

production now. We could double up distillation with the equipment we've got, and there's plenty of space to expand if we ever want to."

When the Distillers Company Ltd closed Benromach they stripped out most of the plant, and as Ian Urquhart explains "We had to replace virtually everything and we put in new, smaller stills, and therefore smaller washbacks. Basically, the only thing the same is the water! Yet Diageo were kind enough to find us some new make spirit from before they closed the distillery, and we compared it with our new make. While there were differences, the same 'footprint' was there, with the same floral, spicy, malty notes. Essentially, we set out to make spirit that would be quite quick to mature but also has enough character, body and depth to last for 20 or 30 years."

Keith Cruickshank recalls that "We rescued wood from the old larch washbacks and had four smaller ones made from it. We wanted to keep something from the old distillery. The flavour of the spirit is the sum of many parts, some large, some small. The wooden washbacks do give certain beneficial flavours, so we stayed with wood. The other thing we kept was the vat in the filling store, which we still use. We had to put in new milling equipment, mash tun and stills, but the spirit safe we have came from Millburn in Inverness.

"The whole process is controlled by one man, there's nothing automated, there are no computers in the production. We have Monday to Friday production all year round, and we go for long fermentations, which is good for the quality of the spirit, and quality is crucial to what we do. We do three to five day fermentations. We found shorter ones didn't give enough complexity to the new make. Longer fermentations made it richer, fruitier and more estery when we experimented early on. "The shape of the stills came after lots of research. They were made by Forsyth's in Rothes and are

fairly small, but they have quite broad necks to catch the heavier flavours in the first distillation. If you don't have them in the first distillation you certainly won't get them later! During the first half hour of your low wines distillation you get lovely fruity, estery notes, and we're really gentle distilling it early on. We run the spirit nice and slow to give us elegance. We have a big reflux ball in the second still to give us a lighter, fruitier flavour. We get five barrels from each distillation, that's about 25 barrels per week, or 132,000 litres of alcohol."

One of Benromach's two warehouses was demolished by DCL, but the remaining dunnage warehouse is still in use, and a second has been added by Gordon & MacPhail. As Keith Cruickshank notes, "Very unusually the new one is a dunnage warehouse too! It's extremely rare to build a dunnage warehouse now, but we feel that a traditional dunnage warehouse is the best environment in which to mature whisky. Two-thirds of your flavour comes from the wood, so warehousing is crucial. We keep about 4,500 casks on site, and a small number in Gordon & MacPhail's warehouse in Elgin."

the whiskies

Benromach, 10-year-old (Scotland) This new release from Benromach represents a milestone, as it is the first bottling of spirit distilled entirely under the ownership of Gordon & MacPhail, who resurrected the silent Speyside distillery in 1998. It comprises 80 per cent whisky which has been matured for nine years in ex-Bourbon casks, and 20 per cent from former Sherry wood. The sum total was then matured for a final 12 months in ex-Sherry casks. The result is a complex and well-integrated dram, with a nose that is initially quite smoky, with wet grass, butter, ginger and brittle toffee. Mouth-coating, spicy, malty and nutty on the palate, with developing citrus fruits, raisins and soft wood smoke. The finish is warming, with lingering barbecue notes. 40.0% ABV, 70cl, £28.95, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, 2000 Burgundy Wood Finish (Scotland) Benromach Burgundy Wood Finish was initially matured in ex-Sherry and Bourbon casks before being re-racked into Pinot Noir wine casks from St Romain in Burgundy and matured for a further seven years. Initially strong fruit aromas, apples and dark berries, followed by gentle smoke and vanilla. The palate is silky, with more fruit, toffee apples and background peat smoke. Spicy and bitter-sweet in the finish, with citrus and vanilla. 45.0% ABV, 70cl, £33.95, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, 21-Year-Old (Scotland) Spirit from the old DCL days, matured in first and second fill Sherry butts. Herbal, well mannered and delicate on the nose, with a hint of linseed oil. The palate is comparatively rich and full bodied, with spices and caramel. The finish is long, with a persistent note of sherry. A lovely, poised Benromach, with clear evidence of the good work done by the Sherry butts. 43.0% ABV, 70cl, £52.99, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, 22-Year-Old Port Wood (Scotland) After 20 years in Sherry casks this expression spent 22 months in Port pipes, and is limited to 3,000 bottles. The nose presents a sweet and spice mixture. Syrupy, spicy, with Sherry and glace cherries on the palate. The finish is quite long and decidedly spicy. Good finishing, in that the port has not been allowed to overwhelm the spirit’s character, but has added new cereal-sweet dimensions. 45.0% ABV, 70cl, £51.99, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, 25-Year-Old (Scotland) A contrast with the 21-Year-Old in that this expression has been matured in American Oak refill hogsheads. The nose is fresh and aromatic, almost perfumed. Full bodied, sweet and rounded on the palate, the finish is gently drying with a touch of ginger. Beautifully balanced. 43.0% ABV, 70cl, £53.99, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, 30 Years Old (Scotland) Introduced at the same time as the Cask Strength 2001 variant of Benromach, this 30-year-old differs in that it was produced under the old Distillers Company Ltd regime that finally closed the Forres distillery in 1983. When Gordon &MacPhail came to re-equip the distillery prior to re-opening it in 1998, they effectively created a new production plant within the old buildings, and little more than the water source remained the same. This 30 Years Old expression comprises whisky from first-fill and refill ex-Sherry casks and the result is a dram where freshly-sliced Bramley apples dominate the early nose, then peaches, malt and mild marshmallow appear. Soft and mellow, with developing brittle toffee.Warming, rounded and malty on the Sherry and marzipan-influenced palate, with a tube of fruit gums somewhere in the mix.Hints of smoke and black pepper in the long, elegant finish. 43.0% ABV, 70cl, £149.99, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Cask Strength 1980 (Scotland) Matured in refill Sherry hogsheads, so the colour is not as deep as that of the 21-Year-Old that was matured in butts. Fresh, light and floral on the nose, the palate is notably floral, with brittle toffee and spices, set against an oily body.. The finish is medium, with drying spiciness. 58.6% ABV, 70cl, £65.99, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Cask Strength 2001 (Scotland) One of the most recent additions to the Benromach line up, Cask Strength 2001 has been matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels. Each bottle carries a cask number, distillation year and bottling date. Immediate sweet smoke on the nose, plus tinned pears, ripe peaches, crystallised ginger and vanilla. Big, spicy Bourbon notes on the palate, almonds, fudge and then cinder toffee. Lingering fudge and spicy smoke in the finish. 59.9% ABV, 70cl, £40.50, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Latitude 53 1999 (Scotland) As reported in last month’s Whisky News, Gordon & MacPhail has released a new expression of single cask malt whisky from its Benromach distillery to mark the race partnership of Benromach Speyside single malt with the ‘Glasgow: Scotland with Style’ clipper, in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race. According to Gordon & MacPhail’s David Urquhart, “This is the first ever bottling of a single Sherry cask from distillation under control of Gordon & MacPhail,” and Urquhart notes that a second release of Latitude 53 is due in the near future, as the original has already almost sold out. “This will be followed by a Latitude 55 (the latitude of Glasgow), after which there will be a Latitude 57 (the latitude of Benromach) early next year, to keep up the momentum as the race continues,” explains Urquhart. ‘Latitude 53’ boasts a substantial nose, featuring Sherry, a hint of earthy peat and smoke. Full-bodied and Sherried, with initial honey and developing Seville oranges. The finish is long, spicy and somewhat smoky, with slightly bitter, thick cut marmalade. Limited quantities (approximately 300 bottles) are available to purchase world wide, and £5 from every bottle sold will be donated to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. 53.0% ABV, 70cl, £46.95, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Latitude 57º (Scotland) This is the third single cask release from Benromach intended to commemorate the Forres distillery’s partnership with the ‘Glasgow: Scotland with Style’ clipper, in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race. Benromach distillery is situated on the 57th Line of Latitude, and this expression from a European oak cask follows Latitudes 53 and 55. Cask number 580 presents an expansive fruity, spicy ‘Christmas cake’ nose, which becomes more smoky and sooty with exposure to air. Quite dry on the palate, with raisins and walnuts, plus some underlying figs. The finish dries relentlessly, becoming nuttier and slightly oaky. 330 bottles. 57.0% ABV, 70cl, £49.99, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Marsala Cask Finish (Scotland) Bottled without an age statement, the latest addition to Benromach’s list of ‘finishes’ comes from ex-Marsala wine casks, and the influence of the Sicilian fortified wine has also been employed by the likes of Arran, Caol Ila, Edradour and Springbank for finishing purposes. Rich and spicy on the nose, herbal and earthy. Big and mouth-coating, warming. The Marsalla cask gives the spirit real body. Spicy malt and stewed fruit dominate the palate. The finish is long and spicy, with toffee and wine notes, plus a hint of smoke. Steadily drying. 43.0% ABV, 70cl, £23.99, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Origins (Scotland) Benromach Origins is a new series of bottlings from the Forres distillery on Speyside, and the first ‘Origins’ release has been produced using locally-grown Golden Promise barley, once ubiquitous in the Scotch whisky industry, but now largely superseded by higher yielding varieties. However, some distillers who are willing to sacrifice yield for what they see as improved flavour have stuck with Golden Promise, with one high profile user being The Macallan. Commenting on the new Benromach expression, David Urquhart, joint managing director of distillery proprietors Gordon & MacPhail, says “At Benromach we are always keen to experiment and try different things. This first release experiments with a different barley variety – Golden Promise – which has undoubtedly contributed to the final flavour profile of the product. Consumers who are intrigued by this first batch of the Origins series have the opportunity to appreciate the complexities of the whisky making process. Future releases in this series will allow consumers to build on this and explore how subtle changes impact the final product.” This initial bottling of Benromach Origins has been matured in first and second fill Sherry casks, and the nose initially offers sour dough bread, with developing malt and Sherry notes. Smokier with the addition of water. Full-bodied, initially spicy on the palate then very malty, with distinctive Sherry and peat smoke. The finish is long and fruity, with spicy smoke and Sherry notes. Ultimately, molasses lingers. 50.0% ABV, 70cl, £35.99, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Origins Batch No.2 (Scotland) The small, Speyside distillery of Benromach has recently added two new Origins bottlings to its line-up. Origins is a series of special bottlings launched in 2008 to highlight how small changes in the art of whisky making can help shape the character of the final single malt. According to distillery owners Gordon & MacPhail, “Each batch displays the ‘Benromach style’ of peat-smoke with malt aromas and a delicate perfumed nose, while at the same time offering a slightly different sensation for the consumer.” Origins Batch No. 2 was distilled in 1999 and has been fully matured in port pipes. It is the first Benromach expression to be entirely aged in a wine cask. The result is a whisky with a savoury and fruity nose, reminiscent of soy sauce, with a smoky edge. Rich and full-bodied in the mouth, with spicy fruit notes and brittle, smoky toffee. Earthy with the addition of water. Dark chocolate in the lengthy, gingery finish. 50.0% ABV, 70cl, £38.50, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Origins Batch No.3 (Scotland) Origins Batch No. 3 was distilled in 1990, using Optic barley, whereas the first Origins bottling was produced from Golden Promise. Batch No. 3 has been matured in ex-Sherry casks. According to Benromach distillery manager Keith Cruickshank “These two new batches are quite different but still recognisably ‘Benromach’ in style. Because we are such a small operation, with just two distilling staff, we have the freedom to make changes to the whisky-making process, while maintaining our commitment to handmade quality. This results in interesting and innovative variations.” In the case of Origins Batch No. 3, the ‘variations’ give a nose of figs, malt and toffee, with a touch of peat smoke. The palate displays smoke, leather and fruit, with lemons and developing cough lozenges. Medium to long in the lightly oaky, mildly smoky finish. 50.0% ABV, 70cl, £38.50, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Peat Smoke (Scotland) The latest release from Gordon & MacPhail-owned Benromach distillery, near Forres, on Speyside is a heavily peated single malt, made using the same intensity of peating as Laphroaig. A batch of heavily-peated spirit is made each year at Benromach, and this particular expression was distilled in 2000. It has been matured in first fill ex-Bourbon casks, often used to ‘soften’ a comparatively young whisky. Commenting on the new release, Ian Urquhart, managing director of Gordon & MacPhail Ltd, says, “At Benromach we are always keen to experiment and try different things. Using small batches of malted barley, peated to our specialist requirements, we were keen to explore the impact of peating levels on Benromach.” “To produce our Benromach Traditional, we use malted barley with a phenol content of ten to twelve parts per million, while Benromach Peat Smoke uses barley malted to fifty-five parts per million. The resulting single malt delivers a seriously smoky character. It is complex, intense and challenging – yet balanced with the fruity elegance of Speyside.” Sweet peat and cigarette smoke over fresh, fruity notes on the nose. Water reveals attractive floral characteristics and then also accentuates the smoke. Big-bodied, smoky, fruity, malty and delightfully balanced on the palate. The finish is long and kippery. Whisky-pages has long regarded the decidedly old-fashioned Benromach Traditional to be one of the best value Speyside malts on the market, and cranking up the peating level has resulted in probably the finest heavily-peated mainland malt around. 46.0% ABV, 70cl, £26.99, distillery website, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Sassicaia Wood Finish (Scotland) Following on from the success of its Organic and Tokaji Wood Finish expressions, the team behind Benromach distillery near Forres has recently unveiled the latest addition to its range, namely Sassicaia Wood Finish. After an unspecified period of initial maturation, the Benromach spirit is transferred into casks which previously held the highly prestigious Sassicaia wine, made in the Tuscan region of Bolgheri. It then spends an additional 27 months maturing before being bottled. Benromach distillery is owned by the Elgin firm of Gordon & MacPhail, and according to director David Urquhart, “Benromach is a hand-made, exclusive single malt whisky that is complemented by the qualities of one of the world’s most esteemed wines. A beautiful balance is struck between the rich Sassicaia and the fruit and peat smoke elements of Benromach.” Rich and robust on the nose, fruity, with vanilla, sultanas and spices. Butter and wood smoke develop with exposure to air. The palate is initially dry and notably spicy, with wild berries, dry Sherry, cloves butterkist and bonfire smoke. The finish is long and kippery, with a suggestion of black treacle. Notably well balanced and distinctly different, this finish works extremely well with the always excellent Benromach spirit. 45.0% ABV, 70cl, £27.99, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Tokaji Finish (Scotland) Officially launched at Whisky Live in Glasgow, this bottling spends some five years maturing in Sherry casks, but is then finished for a period of six months in casks originally filled with Tokaji, a Hungarian sweet wine. The result is a Benromach with a notably sweet and fruity nose, full-bodied and mouth-coating on the palate. The mellow fruit notes fade into a finish where a suggestion of peat smoke prevails. 45.0% ABV, 70cl, £23.99, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Vintage 1968 (Scotland) Initially fresh and sprightly for its age on the nose, with more profound leather and Sherry notes developing over time. A big Sherried whisky in the mouth, but not overwhelmed by the cask. The finish is long and urbane, with old Sherry and Dundee cake lingering to the last. 41.8% ABV, 70cl, £135.00, specialist whisky merchants.

Benromach, Wood Finish Hermitage 2001 (Scotland) This expression of Benromach was matured in first-fill ex-Sherry and Bourbon casks before spending 22 months in casks that had previously been used to produce wine from the Hermitage Appellation d’Origine Controlee, in the northern Rhone wine region of France. A nose of old leather, ginger, red wine, sultanas, toffee and developing smoke. Full and fruity on the palate, with citric elements balanced by creamy, sweet spices. The finish is relatively long and spicy. 45.0% ABV, 70cl, £31.25, specialist whisky merchants.