🥃 Benromach Contrasts: Peat Smoke
Heavily peated Benromach whisky from the Contrasts series: first-fill bourbon casks; 46% ABV; released in small batches by distillation year.
Benromach Contrasts: Peat Smoke is the smokiest permanent expression of Benromach. The distillery releases it in small batches with a distillation year on the bottle. Strength is 46% ABV, according to the official website and Difford's Guide. Compared with the core 10-year-old, its peat is much stronger.
For Peat Smoke, a more heavily peated barley malt is used: according to Difford's Guide, a 2004 batch reached 53 ppm of phenols, while the distillery's core malt is much lighter. According to the official website, current batches mature only in first-fill bourbon casks; the 2014 batch matured for 9 years. Older batches, according to Difford's Guide, matured in refilled hogsheads.
Why it matters to you. If Benromach 10 Year Old seems barely smoky to you, Peat Smoke shows the other side of the distillery. Check the distillation year, as batches differ in age and casks. The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 46% ABV |
|---|---|
| Cask type | first-fill bourbon casks (current batches) |
| Raw material | heavily peated barley malt (53 ppm in the 2004 batch) |
| EU category | 2 — whisky/whiskey |
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890): Single Malt Scotch Whisky |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Benromach Contrasts: Peat Smoke → affects → 🍷 Alcohol and health ← affects ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Benromach, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Speyside whisky, 🥃 Scotch Whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Peated whisky, 🥃 Benromach 10 Year Old, 🥃 Benromach 10 Year Old, 🥃 Benromach Contrasts: Organic, 🥃 Benromach Contrasts: Organic
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that Peat Smoke is a limited edition?
No. The brand calls it a permanent Contrasts release, issued in small batches with different distillation years.
How peated is Benromach Peat Smoke?
According to Difford's Guide, a 2004 batch had 53 ppm of phenols, much more than the distillery's core malt.
What is the strength of Benromach Peat Smoke?
46% ABV, according to the official website and Difford's Guide.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky — Malted barley is the base of whisky: malt enzymes convert starch in the mash, and EU whisky is distilled below 94.8% vol.
- 🥃 Peated whisky — Whisky with a smoky aroma from malt dried over a peat fire; it is a style, not a separate legal category.
- 🥃 Benromach Contrasts: Organic — Organic Benromach whisky, Soil Association certified since 2006; new American oak casks; current bottlings 46% ABV, unpeated.
- 🍷 Drunk driving — Never drive after drinking wine: alcohol slows your reactions.
Similar
🥃 Benromach 15 Year Old · 🥃 Benromach 21 Year Old · 🥃 Benromach 10 Year Old · 🥃 Benromach Contrasts: Organic · 🥃 Longmorn 18 Year Old · 🥃 Longmorn 22 Year Old
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Benromach (official): Contrasts: Peat Smoke — first-fill bourbon casks, peated, 46 %; on-going small batch release
- Difford's Guide: Benromach Peat Smoke 2004 (46 %; malted barley at 53 ppm phenols; refill American oak hogsheads)
- Benromach (official): Core range — Signature range and core Contrasts (Organic, Peat Smoke)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)
Also listed under
- SpiritsWhiskyScotch WhiskySpeyside whisky
- SpiritsWhiskyScotch WhiskyBenromach
- SpiritsWhiskyScotch Whisky
- SpiritsWhiskyBenromach