2012 Benromach Contrasts High Enzyme Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Here’s a novel Benromach that marks a first for the distillery: Released in early 2025 in the UK and made using unpeated barley with a high enzyme content (otherwise employed for the production of Grain Whisky or in industrial brewing). A contrast to the usually robust and slightly smokey Benromach, this is instead a fresher style with fruity facets and sweet and savoury notes, including apple aromas, lots of citrus fruits, sweet pineapple and honeycomb as well as notes of jasmine and peppermint. Distilled in 2012 and aged for twelve years, it comes bottled at 46% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

Other reviews... A playful series by Benromach, featuring some relatively classic elements (more peat) and some more unusual ones, such as a comparison of kiln-dried and air-dried oak, or this high-enzyme malt, which is usually used to produce grain whisky. This is what is called high-DP malt with a lot of nitrogen (DP = diastatic power), and it’s used to convert the mash into fermentable sugars. Typically, about 10% is added to grains like maize or wheat. It’s worth noting that in Scotland, the use of additional enzymes in other forms is not allowed, though it’s permitted elsewhere. Let’s taste this high-DP malt, which should be sweeter and maybe even a little sugary… Colour: white wine. Nose: indeed, it’s very sweet, evoking bottled apple juice, an enormous pile of marshmallows, and touches of very vanilla-forward oak. It feels quite far removed from those slightly ‘dirty’, robust, and smoky Benromachs we love so much. Mouth: yes, it’s sweet, with plenty of apple again, marzipan, grapefruit, and above all a rather noisy oakiness. A standard Benromach would normally handle such situations brilliantly, but this baby Benromach (if I may) struggles a bit with the wood. It almost reminds one of a young Auchentoshan. Finish: medium length, with a hint of orange and perhaps papaya, then more apple juice and a lingering sensation of wood, almost like sawdust. Comments: not bad at all, really, but perhaps best suited for our friends who already have all the ‘normal’ Benromach expressions on their shelves. And remember, it’s only experimental. 82 points - whiskyfun.com