Benromach 20 yo 2003 / 2023 Singapore Exclusive #48 57.7%

Benromach gets my vote for most underrated malt. Excellent make, treated respectfully, results in good drinking. Thick nose, full of bramble, dried leaves, crunching undergrowth, buttery pastry in hot tins, salted ham, a lick of soot is not out of place. A sensation of old charcoal ovens, well used, awash in little savoury-spicy notes like culinary fennel and cardamom. Where Isaly recalls the sea, this Benromach evokes warm heaths and hearty stews. On the palate the peat growl is unmistakable but perfect, an earthen rooted, damp mulch kind of peat, soot, compost and lit wood on dirty gravel. Salted peanuts. Do not overlook Benromach. 91 pts