50% Off a Best-Selling Single Malt Stunner
2007 Benromach “Batch #1” Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $80) ($39.99)
“No matter how much you buy, it’s the kind of whisky you’ll forever wish you got more of while the getting was good.” — Andrew Whiteley, K&L Spirits Buyer

Simply put, this is one of the greatest deals in single-malt Scotch we’ve ever come across. The fabulous Benromach distillery is one of our absolute favorite, family-run operations in Scotland, a Speyside stalwart that consistently over-delivers. The “Batch #1” has been a staple on our shelves since its release to market in 2018. At its original $80 market price, it was always a stupendous value for the price, but now it’s just about rocketed off the QPR charts. After a change in distribution, we were able to secure a new parcel of this perennial best seller at a completely jaw-dropping price of half off the original going rate. You read that right. An 11-year-old, cask-strength, single malt Speysider at under $40. Made in a highly labor-intensive, super-traditional method, it’s “a whisky that has a human touch of excellence,” as buyer Andrew Whiteley describes it. The complexity is kaleidoscopic, even more so with a few drops of water. Many of our hardcore Scotch aficionados already know and love it, so those who have yet to discover the thrill of Benromach should get on the good foot. We’ll keep restocking it at this price for as long as we can, but we fully expect the response to be gangbusters, so there’s no telling how long the deal will last (hint: not long at all).

2007 Benromach “Batch 1” Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $80) ($39.99)

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: March 12, 2022

It would be hard to overstate how great a distillery Benromach is. Lovers of Springbank will appreciate the ethos—it’s an old fashioned place, owned by an independent family, not a giant corporation. They do things slowly and by hand, always focused on quality, not quantity. Holding true to an old style of Speyside malt that carries a bit of peat and always filling in first-fill sherry and bourbon casks, the whiskies produced here are simply sublime. The distillery, like many, has a long and complex history. The modern end of that history is the acquisition by the legendary bottler Gordon & MacPhail in 1993 and refurbishment of the distillery completed in 1998. The Urquhart family has long bottled the best casks in Scotland, but this purchase marked their first foray into distillation itself. Their history with and understanding of Scotch maturation informed their decision-making in how Benromach would be run. Since then, production has relied on the expertise of a very small team that makes their decisions all by sensory evaluation before storing in ultra-high-quality casks in traditional dunnage warehouses. The result is a whisky that has a human touch of excellence. In 2018, Batch #1 of Benromach’s first cask-strength whisky was released, a 2007 vintage that has long been a staple on our shelves. Today, thanks to the vagaries of modern distribution networks, we are able to offer this world-class spirit at a stunning price.

Let us taste. The color is striking gold at its core with a straw edge. The aromas are wildly complex for an 11-year-old spirit, in part thanks to the little bit of peat and in part thanks to the first-fill sherry and bourbon casks. Without water, cooked apples, fig, raisin, bread pudding, and the earthly delight of fresh peat shine. The palate is rich. Vanilla, dates, butterscotch, orange zest, tobacco, and honey abound. A few drops of water added and the essential oils come crashing out. The nose opens to reveal a more complex yet easy going smoke profile—fresh peat mingles with bonfire, burnt orange peel, fresh straw, and ripe stone fruits. Honey-drizzled cereals and milk chocolate stand in relief. Black tea emerges. The palate is softened from the spicy and gripping 58.2% ABV and becomes wonderfully soft, yet retaining its strength, like suede. The finish shows fresh green apple, cinnamon, sweet barley, and a touch of sage. It’s a beautiful whisky that was terrific at $80. Now, at half that price, no matter how much you buy, it’s the kind of whisky you’ll forever wish you got more of while the getting was good.