Benromach 10yo CS batch 2 was my first encounter with Benromach. On the recommendation of Ralfy on YouTube. I had just started with whisky and was overwhelmed by the intensity of it all. The aroma was first mixed with sulphur, and the sweet smoky scent reinforced a unity of fatty rich earthy aroma, with a mineral fine sand-like scent added to it. With the first sip my palate was shocked, but the aftertaste offered an exciting reflection of this overwhelming first moment. Because of this I remained constantly fascinated and wanted to keep experiencing it. After a few months the whisky became somewhat more restrained and the flavours and aromas blended more together. The sulphur had largely disappeared. What was first a crushing experience, grew into my favourite whisky, which made me seek out and appreciate the complex flavours in other whiskies. Ledaig, Edradour, and Islay whiskies. And Benromach is a small distillery with five people employed (I thought) where craftsmanship is held high. After the rebranding I find that the sweetness of the sherry casks has rounded off the whole thing towards a more general taste. But it is still a fatty smoky sandy heavy sweet experience which is why this whisky is among my favourites. The old bottlings have even more of those idiosyncratic flavour and aroma outbursts than the new batches, the adventure right over the edge which makes drinking an intense experience and a voyage of discovery.