The Triple Distilled appears in the world of Benromach’s new releases, the third in the “Wood Finish” series: after a finish in Sassicaia (which we reviewed here) and one in Hermitage, here we are with a 25 months finish in casks of Chateau Cissac – an esteemed and celebrated French red wine from the Bordeaux area, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. It is nothing new our distrust of red wine finishes, especially when we’re talking about peated malts. But nor is our esteem for Benromach a novelty, so come on, let’s go!
N: hey, what do we have here? At first, it’s blunt and balsamic, mushrooms, mature cheese (?!). There’s a medicinal peat, like mouthwash. Really strange, you may have guessed it. Over time, it ossigenates and opens a little bit: red fruits (blueberries), with a vinous impact that doesn’t leave you cold. Longrow, anyone? Dried plums and fruit candies. Orange peel reminding us of that mineral hint always recognizable in Benromachs. And the vanilla comes slowly…
P: tasty and very winey, almost mellow. The vanilla from the ex-bourbon first-fill barrels (about six years before the wine casks further maturation), hidden from the nose, is here with great conviction. But the impression is that the peat+wine+vanilla magic is only half successful. Where does this slight gunpowder off-note come from? It remains medicinal, with lots of mineral peat. Blueberry and plum tart.
F: astringent, robustly peaty and with vanilla and honey sticks.
We must confirm both our initial prejudices: Benromach’s soul is evident, imperturbable in the face of the wine’s ‘offenses’; on the other hand, these offenses are very sharp, and certainly it will fully satisfy only true lovers of the combination of peat and barrel of red wine. We can’t say we love it, but neither can we be dissatisfied, since this convinced us more than the finish in Sassicaia: 83/100.
Recommended soundtrack: The contortionist – Clairvoyant.
