Benchmark Extends Dukes Ridge Resource Area from 500m to +700m and Provides Additional Bulk-Tonnage Drill Intercepts at the Lawyers Trend

Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - March 19, 2019) - Benchmark Metals Inc. (TSXV: BNCH) (OTCQB: CYRTF) (WKN: A2JM2X) (the "Company" or "Benchmark")  - is pleased to report successful 200 metre step-out and infill drilling at the Dukes Ridge zone mineral resource located within the +20 kilometre Lawyers Trend at the Lawyers Gold-Silver Project. Lawyers is located in the prolific Stikine Terrane of the Toodoggone Mineral District, which also hosts the Golden Triangle region of British Columbia, Canada.

CEO John Williamson commented, "We continue to see long drill intercepts from surface that include over 63 metres of near 1.5g/t gold equivalent grade (DR15-05). The 2018 exploration program has extended the Dukes mineralized zone 400m southeast towards the Phoenix zone, and extends the mineralisation at depth. The 2018 drilling at Dukes Ridge comprised 1,304.24m in 13 holes and an additional 7 holes (732.74m) at the Phoenix zone. The Phoenix zone has potential to extend an additional 500m beyond the 2018 drilling to the southeast, as defined by anomalous soil and rock samples collected during 2018."

Director, Michael Dufresne, P.Geol commented, "We are encouraged by the results of our initial drilling at the Lawyers Trend and believe that the 2018 drilling results combined with follow-up drilling during 2019 will lead to a significant increase in the existing mineral resources at the Lawyers Project. Geological comparisons can be made to the world-class Cerro Negro and Cerro Vanguardia mines in Argentina where operations began with selective mining of high-grade veins and evolved to bulk-tonnage mining that enveloped the higher-grade areas. Lawyers is a large, road accessible property with anomalous gold and silver at surface across a +20km trend."

Dukes Stepout Holes

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Drill Results and Zone Extension

Drilling at the Dukes Ridge zone extends the gold and silver mineralization southeast to over 600m in total strike length. The Dukes Ridge zone forms part of the maiden resource estimate with a 200m strike length. The 2018 drilling has extended the mineralized zone by an additional 400m southeast to the Phoenix zone. Within the mineral resource area, more extensive sampling has identified continuous near-surface bulk tonnage type mineralization, in addition to the previously recognized high-grade zones. Selected infill holes have provided long intercepts up to 5.76 g/t Au and 128.65 g/t Ag over 33.52m (reported February 9, 2019) and 1.16 g/t Au and 36.18 g/t Ag over 63.75m. The entire +600m zone from Dukes Ridge to Phoenix is coincident with a large radiometric anomaly and a linear magnetic anomaly indicates the mineralized system likely extends further along strike to the southeast. The infill drilling will provide substantial validation on historical drill-holes to be used in a future mineral resource estimate. The Phoenix zone and the extension to the north remain to be tested and will form part of the 2019 drill program.

Selected Infill and Step-out Drill Results

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael Dufresne, M.Sc., P.Geol., P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Benchmark Metals Inc.

Benchmark is a Canadian mineral exploration company with its common shares listed for trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada, the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States and the Tradegate Exchange in Europe. Benchmark is managed by proven resource sector professionals, who have a track record of advancing exploration projects from grassroots scenarios through to production.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

s/ "John Williamson"
John Williamson, Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:
Jim Greig, President
jimg@BNCHmetals.com
Tel: (604) 260-6977

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain certain "forward looking statements". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

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