Benriach The Smoky Twelve

Nose - sweet peat, honey, pear, apple, smoked meat, vanilla cream, butterscotch, tobacco, nutmeg, rubber, orange, brine, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sweet peat, orange, pineapple, honey, pear, apple, ginger, mint, chili pepper, butterscotch, drying oak, vanilla, chocolate, clove, brine, smoked meat, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with peat smoke, citrus, and honeyed orchard fruit flavors. The Smoky Twelve is the last in the line of peated BenRiach offerings I’ll be reviewing. This is coming off a rather lackluster showing for the Smoky Ten. The nose is gentler than its younger sibling’s. There’s peat and smoked meat, but it’s less acrid and ashy here. The honey and orchard fruits are more saturating and play a larger role. The palate follows along with a similar gingery, spicy zing found on the Smoky Ten, but all the notes strike a better balance. The mouthfeel is also chewier and the finish is slightly better. While not exceptional, this is definitely better than the Smoky Ten, and probably better than the Curiositas. The aromas and flavors are dialed in really nicely, with the savory, meaty, smoky components harmonizing well with the honeyed, fruity, citrusy ones. The notes are also easier to pick out here, which is usually a good sign for me. Overall, it’s a really nice sipper. On the negative side, there’s some youthful sourness that holds it back from greatness. It’s $6 a bottle more than the Smoky Ten near me, so splurging for this is a no brainer if choosing between the two. Still, it’s $75 a bottle, which I wouldn’t call a screaming deal but you could certainly do worse.

Easy to drink. Smokey but not overpowering. Nice finish

Nose: sweet dried fruit, smoke, tobacco and creamy vanilla Palate: strawberry jam, vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate, slightly savory smoke Finish: chocolate and caramel, pepper, woody smoke that lingers While I usually prefer my peat from Islay this is a pleasant surprise. The sweetness and rich smoke play well together and the mouth feel is thicker than many whiskies far above it's modest 46% abv. This is an easy choice over the highland park 12 for a lightly peated whisky or an introduction to peat.

Not sure why I had to get this but I'm a sucker for a bit of age and smoke. I'm just so forgiving on these. Nose - There's a weird battle ground being drawn here. The Marsala cask vs the smoke vs what I think is a fruity malt. There's not much depth here as the age even at 12 seems a bit young. A swirl brings out a nice malt and oak note. Some butter scotch, tannins, and vanilla. It's a nice profile for this price point. Taste - Medium mouth feel with a battle for vanilla, light butter scotch, wine casks, and then a wonderful rich lightly charred oak smoke. From there it lingers into some dark chocolate and toffee. There's even a bit of a coffee here as well. What really brings this together is how the smoke and coffee notes linger forever for such a young and to be fair somewhat thin and not overly cask driven dram. There's just been a wonderful balance found with this one despite what I suspect were less than ideal casks and a budget point on age and stock used set on this one. For about 60 bucks this is spectacular. It's easy to drink, approachable, and yet nails this. 2.5 stars - get it! I think it was 65 bucks, I'm not sure.

Really nice. Smokey, a little sweet. Mellow.