Benromach has always been one of those Speyside distilleries that refuses to stay in its lane — and I mean that as a compliment. The Contrasts series is their playground for pushing boundaries, and the Peat Smoke Bourbon 2014 is a perfect example of what happens when a traditionally fruity Speyside house decides to get smoky and age the result in bourbon barrels. At 46% ABV and bottled without chill filtration, this feels like a whisky made for people who actually want to taste what's in the glass.
The concept here is straightforward: take peated Benromach spirit, mature it in first-fill bourbon casks, and let those two forces shape each other. Bourbon wood brings vanilla, caramel, and a certain sweetness. Peat brings smoke, earthiness, and grip. The tension between those elements is what makes this bottle interesting. It's not a peat monster — this isn't Islay trying to strip paint off your walls. It's more like a campfire someone lit in a Speyside orchard. That balance is harder to achieve than it sounds.
Tasting Notes
I don't have my detailed tasting notes to hand for this particular bottling, so I'll hold off on fabricating specifics. What I can say is that the combination of peated malt and bourbon cask maturation typically produces a profile that sits somewhere between sweet and smoky — think honey meeting woodsmoke, baking spice meeting ash. At 46% and non-chill filtered, you can expect a fuller mouthfeel than your average Speyside bottling at 40%. The 2014 vintage gives this around eight years of maturation, which for a peated spirit in active bourbon wood is a solid sweet spot — enough time for the cask to do its work without bulldozing the smoke character.
The Verdict
At £56.25, this sits in a competitive bracket. You're paying a fair price for a non-chill filtered, 46% single malt from a distillery that actually cares about what goes into the bottle. The Contrasts series is Benromach showing range, and the Peat Smoke Bourbon expression demonstrates they can handle smoke with nuance rather than brute force. A 7.7 out of 10 feels right — this is a genuinely good whisky that does something a bit different without being gimmicky about it. It's not going to rewrite your understanding of Scotch, but it's going to give you something to think about while you drink it, and that counts for a lot in this price range.
Best Served
Pour this neat in a Glencairn and give it five minutes to open up. The bourbon cask influence means this has enough inherent sweetness to work beautifully in an Old Fashioned — use a lighter hand on the sugar syrup than you normally would, maybe a barspoon at most, and opt for Angostura bitters to complement rather than compete with the smoke. A single large ice cube if you prefer it longer. But honestly, at 46%, this drinks perfectly well on its own. Add a few drops of water if the peat feels tight on first sip — it'll loosen up nicely.
