BenRiach 16 Year

Nose: Sweet, honeyed cereal. Nuts, sweet white grapes and barley sugar. Apricots, orange zest and vanilla emerge over time. Water develops a light peach aroma. Palate: Sweet but drying on the entry - elegant and austere rather than voluptuous, which the nose might lead you to expect. Cereal and malt in the development which turns from cereal towards woody in the finish. There are, however, many sweet and honeyed fruit notes on the mid-palate with orange oil and vanilla particularly on display. Some tannic spice lunges forward towards the finish but the texture is creamy and full. Finish: Medium. Sweet and fruity, even crisp in a way. The aftertaste is rather like over-brewed English breakfast tea, but it's nice in context. The nose is particularly sweet and fragrant - very honeyed and luscious and a particularly good example of a non-sherried full-bodied "fruity" nose. The palate is creamy and fruity but with a spicy note that takes over in mid-palate and may seem a little too dominant. I did not notice any particularly smoky aspect to the profile at all - maybe some barrel char, but no reek. Water reacts oddly here, bringing out both sweet and bitter/spicy notes on the palate. In fact, overall it's a development of sour malty cereal characteristics more than anything else. Interesting, but perhaps a little challenging. I'd rate this between the 12 year sherry wood and the 10 year old. Tasted from a 30ml sample. "Above Average" : 3.25 stars

Nose - Floral golden honey, more balanced white fleshed fruits, light leather, vanilla, light milk chocolate mole. Taste - Rich creamy mouthfeel, floral golden honey, dark apple/pear juice, caramel, vanilla, smoked almonds, faint wisp of coal/campfire smoke, nutty sweetness Finish - Lingering gentle warmth, light smoky mole milk chocolate, dark caramel, fruity pear, light fruity bitter Score - 80/100 Final Thoughts - This one was a bit bitter in terms of overall experience in that it did capture more complex flavors. The added leather/chocolate to the light fruit/honey was nice. I don't think this is peated, but it has this tiny wisp of clean smoke to it, like they didn't completely clean out the stills after a peated run or it was aged next to some extra heavily peated malt. It was subtle and quite nice. No off-putting notes and continues to have the nice creamy mouthfeel. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - No

Full, warm but doesn’t punch you at the end. Nice spice

​ smooth and smoky, hints of bubble gum, chamomile and honey.