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Back in June 2022, a group of top bartenders from renowned London venues joined Benromach for a tasting session at Silverleaf Bar in the Pacific Hotel, Houndsditch.

After sampling three unique casks of Benromach single malt, expertly matured at our award-winning distillery, attendees voted for their favourite whisky.

The chosen expression was then bottled as the ‘London Bartenders Edition’ and was made available by the dram in selected partner bars including, Swift Bars, Black Rock and Publiq.

EXCLUSIVE & EXQUISITE

The ‘London Bartenders Edition’, developed in collaboration with Milroy’s of Soho, was distilled on 3rd September 2012 before being laid to mature in a first-fill Sherry Hogshead, cask number 599.

Bottling took place on 15th August 2022 following a series of industry events involving bartenders from across London. The expression was made exclusively available from Milroy’s of Soho, with just 201 bottles then available to a small number of handpicked pubs, bars and hotels in the city.

The whisky exudes aromas of rich, stewed fruit with citrus zest and toasted hazelnut, followed by a touch of soft smoke.

“This cask strength Benromach whisky has been specifically selected by London bartenders to be sold exclusively through the city’s top bars and restaurants.

“It’s smoky, zesty and bold. It will be interesting to see how other bartenders interpret the dram and how they plan on serving it – whether that’s neat, over ice or in a creative cocktail.”

Keith CruickshankBenromach Distillery Manager

WIN A BOTTLE

A bottle of the exclusive Benromach London Bartenders Edition, hand-selected by bartenders from renowned London venues, has been reserved especially for the Friends of Benromach.

This cask strength Benromach whisky presents aromas of rich, stewed fruit with citrus zest and toasted hazelnut, followed by a touch of soft smoke. As an exclusive release with only 201 bottle having been produced, this is a rare opportunity to own a single cask expression from our distillery.

HOW TO ENTER

Everyone who is subscribed to the Friends of Benromach newsletter will be given the opportunity to enter the prize draw.

Simply register your interest by clicking on the link below.

Best of luck!

Enter the prize draw

Bartenders’ cocktail contest

To help launch our London Bartenders Edition single malt, we invited eight bartenders to put their skills to the test in our very first industry cocktail competition.

Taking place at The Vault at Milroy’s of Soho, competitors were given a choice of three Benromach single malts as the base spirit, a table of ingredients and a mystery wildcard element. With just 30 minutes to concoct their drinks, the bartenders went head-to-head as they presented their creations.

Best of the best

After an impressive show from all entrants it was Jake Lovell-Hewitt, bartender at Publiq, who was ultimately crowned the winner in our first cocktail competition.

Jake artfully combined precise measures of two Benromach Contrasts range whiskies to create the base for his Green Apple & Cedarwood Sour cocktail. With an enticing emphasis on fresh apple flavours, the partnership between sweet and sour played out perfectly atop the woody and smoky background.

A truly stunning single malt cocktail and a worthy winner in a very close competition!

See the recipe
Jake Lovell-Hewitt Publiq Cocktail Competition Benromach - Winner
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CURRENT TIMES

Fun and fresh with a wonderful depth of character, Current Times is a great example of how single malt cocktails can elevate the profile of a familiar whisky to be enjoyed in new ways.

Created by Oliver Hart from The Vault Soho, situated beneath Milroy’s of Soho, this sophisticated whisky cocktail is a perfect complement to our heavily-peated single malt.

See the recipe

SUPER ORGANIC

Alessandro Todini presented us with an expertly balanced single malt cocktail that extended the core character of our award-winning Organic whisky.

The Benromach Contrasts: Organic blends with banana liqueur and apple cider vinegar to create a deliciously sweet and sour cocktail, that is perfect for sharing with friends.

See the recipe

SMOKED ORCHARD

A mouth-watering mixture of tart and floral notes was delivered expertly alongside a contrasting herbaceous earthiness in this single malt cocktail by Hawksmoor bartender, Alex Rajan-Iyer.

Throughout the cocktail, the whisky’s signature smoke and prominent peated profile sits delightfully centre-stage but never overpowers the drink – an exceptionally well-balanced recipe.

See the recipe

KC COLADA

This vibrant Highball-style serve beautifully incorporated two of Benromach’s most popular single malts alongside a complementary array of fresh, fruity ingredients.

Creator Sam Grundy-Glynn, bartender at Bar Swift, commented that he often combines Sherry and peat flavours in his whisky cocktails, praising the Benromach 10 Year Old for its skilful balance of both.

See the recipe

PEAT GARDEN

This sweet citrussy serve kicks off on a confident zesty note before before revealing a hint of lingering peat smoke.

Designed by Alex Basile of blackrock.bar, this is a layered and complex serve that is both dramatic and delicious.

See the recipe

FORRES BERRY CUP

With a profile designed around our flagship Benromach 10 Year Old, but with an added touch of our Organic whisky, this entry was a single malt cocktail that looked as good as it tasted.

This whisky cocktail was created for Benromach by Matthew Roberts, bartender at The Little Scarlet Door.

See the recipe

THE BLACKBERRY BENROMACH

Starting with tart berries and a little spice, this cocktail builds around Benromach’s small batch single malt whisky made with heavily-peated barley for a sumptuous base of bonfire smoke.

Leaning into our Benromach Contrasts: Peat Smoke’s subtler characters, the ingredients artfully highlight the whisky’s fragrant vanilla, lemon sherbet and apricot notes. Overall, an incredibly expressive serve created by TT Liquor bartender, Marcus Grant.

See the recipe

The Distillery Visit

As a thank you for taking part in the London Bartenders Edition cask selection and cocktail competition, we invited the bartenders from participating bars up to Benromach distillery in Forres, Moray.

Taking part in a tour and a tasting, the cohort were able to discover first-hand the story behind the production of the Benromach single malts – including the spirit they selected months before.

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