Benromach Origins 1999

Origins is Benromach’s new program to highlight different aspects of whisky-making, which I think is a great idea. This expression focuses on the use of Golden Promise barley to make the malt, which is then aged in a sherry cask. Unfortunately, there’s so much sherry here that I struggle to appreciate the impact or distinction from the Golden Promise barley. Notes of ripe orchard fruit, tangerine, beeswax, sticky toffee pudding, and toasted almond. Lingering smoke and waxed fruit stays through to the finish. A weighty Benromach (from the Golden Promise and/or the sherry). I find the nose pleasant enough, but the sherry-induced waxed fruit component that emerges mid-palate is just too dominant.