Benromach Contrasts

Benromach High Enzyme: an interesting experiment

Benromach keeps bringing out these expressions that stimulates curiosity. Their “Contrasts” series offers a wide variety of different style. At first, I found my favourite Peat Smoke bottlings in there too, and that seemed a little disappointing. To me, the Peat Smoke is just core range, especially since it has been around for almost two decades already. But then the Contrasts series took a left turn. Bringing out two bottles of Kiln Dried and Air Dried expressions, to compare the influence of these two methods on processing oak, was already incredibly geeky. A weird cask here or there is fine too. Most recently I tasted the Unpeated edition, and that caught me by surprise as well. And now, the next one… reading online it seems there is less enthusiasm for the High Enzyme release. My bottle only just arrived, so let us find out for ourselves!

Benromach Contrasts: High Enzyme, bottled at 46 % abv

First things first: Distilled in 2012, bottled in 2024, making this a proper 12 years old malt. The trick is that this Benromach was distilled from unpeated high enzyme barley. This is a type of malted barley that is added to a more varied mix of grains when distilling grain whisky. It should yield a more fruity characteristic. Maturation took place in first fill bourbon casks, as per usual for Benromach expressions. 

Upon Sipping: Incredibly light-coloured and very elegant in the glass. The obvious vanilla signature is evened out by a lot of green fruits, like freshly washed Bramley’s Seedling apples. My daughter had a preference for these extremely sour apples for a while, and the smell reminded me of it. Very suited to use on/in your pancake, this apple variety. My mind also wanders towards green frog gummy candy we have in the supermarket here in The Netherlands. So yeah, the high enzyme delivers on fruity notes, but I expected it to be more tropical. This feels very … English? European? 

Taking a sip, the apples are kept in balance with vanilla and that creates an unusual flavour. There is a slightly dryish bitterness on the mid-palate that is somehow refreshing. The finish has a dusty edge that gives the impression of very dry grain, but there is a distinct peppermint note. Might be the power of suggestion, since this aspect was already mentioned on the box. It would not be easy to miss it, but it not so bad that you can skip brushing your teeth at night. 

Word to the Wise: One has to wonder if leaving this Benromach in the cask for 12 years was necessary to create something. Despite the first fill wood used here, this is still a very barley forward malt, and that makes it a very pure and naked experience. I truly adore the experiment. The fruity elements make this a pleasant dram, and I think even bourbon drinkers might enjoy the dry note on the end. It lacks some complexity, but this High Enzyme bottling should be applauded for its daring nature. Keep ‘em coming, Benromach! 

Score: 83 points.