Benromach 10-year-old 2014

Bought: Whisky Galore, 23^rd May 2016

Ratings:
89/100 – Ralfy (of www.ralfy.com. His You Tube video below)
85/100 – Whiskybase (average from 11 member votes)

I have a 20cl bottle of the previous 2009 version of the Benromach 10yo, which is the one mentioned in the Whisky Bible 2016 scoring 87.5/100. This new Benromach 10yo came out in 2014 but it’s yet to be reviewed by Jim Murray for his bible. When Ralfy did a video for the 2009 edition he scored it 85/100. An excellent mark indeed but he gives this latest version 89/100 and the honour of his ‘Whisky of the Year 2014’. For the price and quality it’s a tough one to beat in Ralfy’s opinion.

85/100 on Whiskybase is a fantastic score, which is for my 20cl version. The full 70cl scores 85.38/100 from 289 votes so a lot of people seriously rate this single malt. Comments include “well balanced and full bodied”, “good value and very drinkable”, “very pleasant, very round, enjoyable” and “you want bang-for-your-buck? This is it. Big recommendation to anyone, but surely not for the complete novice (as this would be just too tough to get your head around).”

Here are Ralfy’s thoughts on You Tube (January 2015):

Lagavulin 12-year-old 2014

Bought: Drink Supermarket, 17^th July 2015

Ratings:
89.08/100 – Whiskybase (average from 131 member votes)

Lagavulin distillery are a law unto themselves and I admire them for that. No other distillery I can think of is known for its standard 16yo, costing roughly £50, and then have an annual 12yo clocking in at £80. Admittedly it’s cask strength but does that really justify a 12yo being the same price as the excellent Talisker 18yo?! In a word, yes. This stuff is fantastic and I’ve wanted a bottle ever since I tried the Lagavulin 16yo back in the summer of 2013.

Over 89/100 on Whiskybase for this 12yo is brilliant. One of the scoring systems on Whiskybase is a weighted average of nose, taste, body, finish, price and presentation. Overall the price element of the Lagavulin 12yo gets 86/100. The Ardbeg Auriverdes I blogged about yesterday is the same price as this Lagavulin but Whiskybase members only scored it 77/100 for price and 86/100 overall. Those that buy the Lagavulin, even at £80 for a 12yo, obviously consider it good value for what it is.

If you like the Lagavulin 16yo then it’s time to take the next step and go for the 12. Somehow I think you wont be disappointed.

Here’s ‘Malts of Montreal’ with his review on You Tube (Sept 2016):

Hedonism – Compass Box

Bought: Amazon, 5^th February 2015

Ratings:
84/100 – Whisky Bible 2015
89/100 – Ralfy – His review on You Tube here (March 2012)

Trust the independent bottler Compass Box to come up with a whisky that needs its own special category! Hedonism isn’t a single grain, nor is it a blend, it’s a vatting of different grain whiskies! Cameron Bridge and Cambus to name but two of the possible 15 in the mix. I’ve had to create the new category heading “Scottish Vatted Grain” just for this entry. Compass Box clearly have no consideration for whisky bloggers! 😉

I first came across Hedonism in the book ‘101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die’ back in 2013. It’s unusual nature and great reviews put it firmly on my wish list. At the same time the Whisky Bible 2013 ranked the bottle 91/100. The year before, Ralfy had rated the version he tried with an excellent score of 89/100.

Fast-forward to 2015 and the latest edition of the Whisky Bible reviews a batch of Hedonism bottled in February 2013, and the score has dropped to 84/100. My bottle is from a batch created in July 2014. I’ve downloaded the information about the batch from the Compass Box website, and it’s hardly surprising that reviews vary from release to release. The tasting notes given are “deep aromas of vanilla pastry cream, toffee and lightly toasted nuts with elegant, rich flavours of creamy coconut and milk chocolate.” This is very different from the tasting notes given for the release of Hedonism earlier in 2014.

I suppose, since ‘hedonism’ is the pursuit of pleasure, there’s always an element of uncertainty to what you might encounter along the way. At least with Compass Box you know they’re very consistent with their ability to create wonderful whisky. Each batch of Hedonism might be different but it seems that quality is always lurking in every sip.