Benromach 2011 Château Cissac Wood Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky – 70cl
A beautifully considered marriage of two great European craft traditions — Benromach's classic lightly peated Speyside single malt and the celebrated wines of Château Cissac, an esteemed estate in the Haut-Médoc appellation of Bordeaux. Part of Benromach's Wood Finish series within the Contrasts range, the 2011 Château Cissac follows the distillery's established practice of initially maturing in first-fill ex-bourbon casks before transferring to hand-selected ex-wine casks from the Château for a further 25 months — the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Haut-Médoc wines imparting a vivid red and dark berry character that lifts and enriches Benromach's characteristically fruity, smoke-tinged spirit in a deeply rewarding and elegantly balanced way. The result is a whisky that is unmistakably Benromach in character — that gentle bonfire smoke, the creamy vanilla, the Speyside fruit — yet carries an additional dimension of Bordeaux-inflected vinous richness that makes it both a fascinating expression and a genuinely lovely dram. Bottled at 45% ABV.
TASTING NOTES
NOSE
Classic Benromach smoke and wood open with zesty citrus, red apples, dark berries, vanilla, honey, papaya, and grassy fruit-infused tea leaf notes — the Château Cissac influence adding a compelling vinous red fruit dimension to the distillery's characteristic profile.
PALATE
Smooth and creamy with a fiery peppery entry — soft peat smoke, apple, cherry, layers of dark chocolate, toasted coconut, and honey with sweet lychee, papaya, and rich summer berry flavours from the Bordeaux wine casks weaving through a beautifully layered and balanced whole.
FINISH
Herbal and minty with orange peel, cinnamon spice, wood, and a slowly fading smoke — the sweet lychee and papaya lingering warmly and invitingly to the last.
ABV: 45% ABV